Liberty University
EDU 701
Dr. Verlyn Evans

Web 2.0 Tools: Instruction for the 21st Century Learner

Submitted by Carol Horner

March 9, 2008
Table of Contents

Introduction 1 Statement of the problem 2 21st Century Learning Definition 3 Web 2.0 Definition 3 Web 2.0 Tools 5 Blogs 5 Wikis 7 RSS 9 Social Bookmarking 10 Online Photo Galleries 12 Podcasting 13 Other Tools 15 Conclusions 17 Recommendations for Future Research 18 References 20

Introduction Effectively communicating with students, the parent body, and with one another will be a huge challenge for educators in the 21st century. Technology has changed almost every part of our society, including our educational methods. Traditionally, schools tell their stakeholders what needs exist for students in their school. Authors like Fuller (1996) and Siemans (2004) have shown that educators, as a group, have a gap in their perception of computer usage. This gap suggests that teachers may not be using computers competently in their lesson plans. Early implementation of computers in classrooms was an additional activity rather than integrating them into the core curriculum. Other resistance to technology integration comes from the idea that the school day is already too busy and teachers cannot add anything new (Jenkins, Clinton, Purushotma, Robinson, & Weigel, 2006). Outside the classroom, students are on the forefront of technology usage. Today’s students are considered “digital natives” while today’s educators are considered “digital immigrants” (Prensky, 2001). Educators are finding it difficult to bridge this gap. The “new Read/Write Web threatens to make these differences between teachers and learners even more acute” (Richardson, 2006). Educators need to think about potential changes to the way they teach in order to keep students engaged. Students