Web 2.0 programs allow users to add content to a more extensive base of others in online applications. Though web 2.0 doesn't only exist in the classroom, web 2.0 technologies promote collaboration between teacher and student and between student to student. Essentially, teachers assign work that students produce online.

I've used web 2.0 in two different roles - student and teacher. As a teacher, I used the Google Classroom suite that allowed a variety of opportunities where students could produce work. My students wrote in Gdocs and made presentations in the Slides application (similar to Microsoft's PowerPoint). I provided feedback in the form of comments to which they could reply either by responding to my comments or by making edits. Gdocs allowed me to look at the history of their writing so I could track changes they'd made over time. Gdocs also allows for peer to peer collaboration. Learners can access their work at any time or anywhere, in the classroom or not, during school hours, or not (ubiquitous). Teachers can implement ongoing formative assessments that are far more useful to a student than a single grade produced after turning in assignments. Google Classroom has a platform that allows students to respond to questions in a running commentary, much like the way we are using in this class.

As a graduate student, I used web 2.0 applications, too. My master's in Education Psychology and Applied Cognition was online through the University of Georgia. I experienced ubiquitous learning firsthand and was required to produce most of my work through web 2.0 technology. I used Gdocs, Pinterest, Padlet, Flipgrid, and others to make lasting artifacts of my learning process. We were asked to respond to readings and make comments on the UGA online learning management system, ELC. Professors responded to work in the same way I did as a teacher - in a dialogue with them and with my peers.

In each case, the learning process took place in a larger collaborative online atmosphere. The NEA cites four 21st century learning goals that web 2.0 learning is especially helpful in promoting: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity. If those are worthy goals, which I believe them to be, then web 2.0 is particularly useful for learning.

“An Educator's Guide to the ‘Four Cs.’” NEA, National Education Association, http://www.nea.org/tools/52217.htm.