Lifelong Learning Programme

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Teachers’ Guide

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TEACHING SCIENTIFIC SUBJECTS THROUGH PROBLEM BASED AND REAL LIFE CASE SCENARIOS

Table of Content

Chapter 1: Contemporary learners and learner-centred learning
1.5 Added value of e-learning and user generated content
Success of e-learning is inseparable form web 2.0 technologies. Mason and Rennie (2008) claim that web 2.0 is based on sharing resources created by users. Web 1.0 technologies were based on the principle of publishing: content was published thus increasing accessibility to knowledge. Web 2.0 technology enables participation in learning communities. Web 2.0 technologies have three main features. Firstly, a user has a personal profile where he/she submits personal information. Secondly, users decide as to which other users they want to connect to by forming groups of friends, etc. Groups are created according to one’s needs and interests and they reflect activities which unite people who belong to them. Thirdly, group members allow access to each other to the products of their activity, ideas, and get feedback in the form of comments. In the case of web 1.0 teachers could read published methodological recommendations, while in web 2.0, the network becomes the source of competences because its users design much of the content that might be used to make teaching better, cheaper, more accessible and matching the needs of students.

E-learning environments are another quality dimension of education environments where students are engaged into different learning. According to Mason and Rennie (2008), the added value of learning is much more than putting the needs of the Z generation into the centre of focus. The authors enumerate the following aspects of the added value of e-learning:
  1. E-learning is participation in a learning community. Design and publishing of the content and feedback received from many people embrace much more than just demonstration of knowledge or application of skills. It also fosters such feelings as belonging to a community, identity, collective consciousness, commitment.
  2. 21st century skills development becomes eficient. Participating in the network of professional development inspires teachers to implement methods aimed at competence development. Students can feel being a part of the world in the network so it is a perfect environment to demonstrate not only one’s literacy, but also competences and peculiarities of one’s personality.
  3. The relation between the teacher and the students changes in the e-learning environment. The teacher cannot be only a source of knowledge. The network directs the teacher to encourages participation, critical evaluation, problem solving and others.
  4. Learners becomes self-directed. Activities in social networks are public, and visible. A student is completely responsible for everything what he/she creates and publishes. It motivates to do and show the best what a student is capable.
  5. The process of cooperation is transferred to another level in e-learning environments. Learning together is more effective than individual learning. Students get much more information and support in the network on real time while they have to invest relatively less effort.

E-learning occurs in the student-cantered environment. Learning process is designed so that it best meets the needs of a student and encourages the development of literacy, competences and personality features mostly valued in the labour environment in the 21st c.
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Table of Content