The increasingly widespread use of Web 2.0 has a direct impact on students and the ways in which they use technology in their everyday lives. The uptake of online social networking through sites like Facebook, the shift to sharing and downloading music, and the popularity of YouTube and photosharing facilities are as significant in the student population as they are elsewhere. However these activities are often seen as part of social life and student teachers may need some help in seeing how they translate into classroom activity. But as schools become more involved in new media work, students' knowledge of these practices can be a valuable asset in the classroom.
In working with student teachers, we encourage them to reflect on the role that technology plays in their everyday life whether that is through their use of mobile applications or through desktop activity. In understanding how they learn informally through participation, and the technical knowledge and skills that are taken for granted in their day-to-day lives, we aim to help them to explore how they can harness these practices in the classroom. Our work is informed by the belief that:
Many children and young people are already engaged in Web 2.0 practices
Important kinds of learning can be developed in Web 2.0 environments through knowledge sharing and distributed cognition
Web 2.0 users are developing new online social practices that are likely to become more useful in the work and leisure settings of the future;
Web 2.0 and online social networking practices can be enjoyable – they motivate the young and can also be attractive to teachers
New webspaces are dependent on new literacy practices, providing real world environments to practice and develop these
The risks and opportunities of life online can be carefully explored in educational environments
Web 2.0 environments give voice to participants and suggest new possibilities for social engagement and citizenship
Collaboration and critical media literacy can be developed in Web 2.0 engagement.
