Much has been written about technology being used in education - how the use of online applications is rapidly spreading out in traditional classrooms, etc. Before the advent of e-learning 2.0, teachers delivered learning materials and instructions via lectures and assignments. However, the new type of e-learning has brought forth the concepts of wikis, blogs, and social media, to name a few. Teachers in various district schools and colleges have started to explore the potentiality of social media and blogs to conduct classes and courses online.
Social Media
Use commercial social networking websites in schools and libraries to impart education easily and quickly. For example, you can create a profile page on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. to post and share information with large numbers of students and parents. The 2012 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project found that Israel has the maximum number of people using social networking sites (53%) followed by USA in the second spot (50% using social media).
Blogging
Many colleges in particular are using blogs in their classrooms to write and publish learning materials online. Blogs act as a great tool to encourage feedback, critical or otherwise, by allowing readers to add comments to any post, anytime, from home or while traveling somewhere. Many teachers are supporting their students to create and maintain a blog for publishing assignments and project works. It becomes extremely convenient for professors to check or download an assignment rather than to wait for the student to come and submit the work in person.
Podcasting
Podcasting has become a popular technology in learning. Many leading universities in the U.S. have created podcasts to offer free courses over the internet. For example, Boston College created the Boston College iTunes Web Site which provides a collection of lectures that students can load onto their iPods. You can also subscribe to the Georgetown University Forum iTunes Feed Web Site - a weekly radio program that highlights the research and expertise of Georgetown University teaching staff.
Media Sharing
Students can be encouraged to use Flickr, the free photo sharing website to upload and download multiple numbers of education-related photos to use for their schools tasks. You can access the photos and use them in slides, learning coursework, etc. Learners will also get the chance to comment on the uploaded photos to create a chain reaction suitable to share knowledge and impart education much easily and quickly.
Thus, e-learning 2.0 has opened up a range of avenues for both the teachers and students to gain education in a more advanced and updated setting.
