The emergence of Web 2.0, such as social media, has provided educators with new tools with which to communicate. The internet’s transition from a one-way communicative media to a fully interactive platform has changed the way educators use the internet in their curricula. This study investigates how Web 2.0 is used by teachers and students in both secondary and tertiary schools and how it can challenge conventional ways of teaching. It explores, among other things, the production of portfolios and the uses of class and student websites as a means to foster a student-centered approach to learning.The social constructivist perspective maintains that interplay facilitates reflection and learning whereby we construct our understanding of the world. Learning is achieved through group participation, frequent interaction and feedback. Here, the relationship between language and thinking is central. Learning cannot be seen as independent from the objects that we create. Humans store their collective knowledge and experiences in the form of artifacts that can be shared with others. The use of artifacts allows for students to actively take control of learning and transcend what teachers constitute as valid knowledge. The student-centered approach encourages the selection of information on the basis of interest and relevance.Some of the findings were that blogs provide a medium for students to reflect over their individual learning processes. By posting preliminary sketches, abandoned and final works to a blog or student web site, students can gain a holistic view of their work. Additionally, the web-based portfolio can act as a forum for teachers and students to access school schedules and assignments. It can also serve as a platform where students can comment on each other’s work and discuss lectures that have a high level of abstraction. Web 2.0 allows participants to be a “little less dependent on time and space” and discover “individual solutions.”Whereas this written study constitutes one half of the project, the visual part of this project explores my own learning process during my studies at Konstfack. Through the development of a web-based portfolio, I present a selection of work that was completed during my three years of education. The work is divided into three categories, each of which is linked to a blog on which I have written short, reflective paragraphs about the specific projects. The website is interactive as it allows viewers to post comments about the work.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:konstfack-3301 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Conrad, Kevin |
| Publisher | Konstfack, Institutionen för Bildpedagogik (BI) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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