074

tc10 1/14/2010 15:31:28

General Session - Conference Presentation Only (no formal paper)


 * Web 2.0 Technology and the Virtual K-12 Classroom: The Open Frontier**

Robin James, Kaplan University, USA, dcady@kaplan.edu Donna Cady, Kaplan University, USA, //dcady@kaplan.edu// Raquel Mongillo, Kaplan University, USA, RMongillo@kaplan.edu

Web 2.0 tools are rapidly changing the way people communicate and learn. Web 2.0 refers to online technology applications that allow people to interact with one another and make changes to Internet content. Social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn are examples of this technology genre. Educators are being challenged to use these tools to enhance teaching but more research needs to be conducted on how Web 2.0 is being used and how it influences education. In an effort to better serve our students (K-12 teachers), research will be conducted to determine how we can use Web 2.0 tools to enhance the teaching-learning process in classrooms where our graduate students may likely teach in the near future. According to Nagel (2009), there is an explosion of virtual K-12 schools and enrollment right now. The unique needs of this educational venue validate the importance of this type of research. Some findings might be applicable to higher education as well. Qualitative data will be collected from teachers at all of the Kaplan Virtual Schools. Participating teachers will respond to an online survey about which Web 2.0 tools they currently use and their effectiveness on instruction and learning. Further investigation will be conducted based on the results of the collected data. Specifically, a series of group focus interview questions will emerge from the survey data and drive the qualitative findings to a deeper level. Researchers will suggest applications to virtual teacher education programs specifically and online higher education in general.

Reference: Nagel, D. (October 9, 2009). Q &A: iNACOL’s Susan Patrick on trends in eLearning. //THE Journal//. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/10/29/q-inacols-susan-patrick-on-trends-in-elearning.aspx?sc_lang=en

All Audiences, online learning, k-12 virtual schools, web 2.0, higher education