Wednesday 22 June 2011

Web 2.0, Social Networks, and Learning.......

More and more technology-savvy educators and educational technologists are going crazy about the use of web 2.0 tools like blogs, social networks (some even go as far as suggesting facebook) and other types of apps like Wikis for learning or in education. Many even go as far as suggesting that these are the modern tools to be used at all cost for all educational systems and processes for learning to occur. In other contexts, some would stress for meaningful learning to occur, as if there are some learning which can be 'meaningless'. 

Another issue is that many educators confuse the use of software designed for social networks and their potential if they were to be used in an educational context with the actual social networks that exist due to these software and how in such virtual environments or communities, learning can take place without these being specifically designed to be learning communities.

A blog for instance is no different to an online forum in terms of the software and its technological design. A post in a blog can be seen as a new discussion in a forum and each comment of a blog can be seen as a reply to the forum post and these become discussion threads.

Web 2.0 is essentially a concept where users of the web can also contribute to populating the web with articles, news, views and opinions. Facebook can be seen as web 2.0 tool because anyone having a profile there can post 'content' to his profile and others who have access to this profile can post comments on that person's wall. A social network is not necessarily a place where educational type of learning will take place most of the time although it can contain info related to an educational type of learning in which one or more persons in that network of friends are part of. It can contain a simple information on the date of a class test, or the tips provided by a lecturer for the exams. But these are not necessarily related to the core learning process. Same as this message can be used to communicate on facebook, twitter offers a more less same service (specialised as facebook is more general) for that type of activity. 

A classroom whether physical or online where participants can be with each other and communicate to each other is already a social network. It does not necessarily mean that it will expand. Therefore using a social network software to create a social network for a particular classroom is a bit of an oxymoron. But the use of a particular web 2.0 tool to promote say critical thinking for a particular learning activity can be a useful idea where learning of some sort will take place. 

On the other hand the use of a social network approach to extend the network of one classroom of a particular course at a particular level to connect with peers of similar characteristics across a geographical region can contribute to some extent in the educational process. But it depends on what the network talks about, what they share and what they are doing in that network to shape learning. How much learning goes on the social networks of facebook users? May be all sorts of informal learning or some news or just enough to create a revolution to topple governments, yes indeed it may have broader social effects, but not necessarily related to the more specific issue of learning within a predefined formal educational context, where learning outcomes and assessment structures and learning goals are well defined...........

718 comments:

  1. Nowadays more and more youngsters have a Facebook or Twitter account. These social networks can provide a means for communication among a group of students for exchange of views, opinion and information concerning a topic. Moreover, we can type on search engines, any queries we have about a subject and, we will get links of numerous blogs which can help us answer our questions for that particular subject.
    On a more personal perspective, I view education through social networks as a new mode of capturing the attention of many young persons and geographical limitation is no more a disadvantage. Being a student of a class of only 31 students, we had all decided to create a private group on Facebook so that we could facilitate communication, help each other and also share learning views. We have found that this method is very convenient and it also promotes learning with fun! However only one student refused to join Facebook, showing that people still needs time to make blogs and social networks an integral tool of their learning process.

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  2. Web 2.0, Social Networks and Learning…
    According to me, I think that learning can and should be associated with web 2.0 tools but at the same time these two should be kept somehow separate from social network because on social networks people tend to spend leisure time and will use it for educational purpose very little, only in cases when important information need to be shared with others urgently. The idea of using a blog is indeed a better idea than social network as it operates almost similar to a forum and information can still be shared efficiently and in a much more formal way.
    Thus, one drawback with social networks is that it does not favours the core learning process but on the other side it helps to expand networking efficiently among peers and classmates as social networks makes it much easier rather than having to have face to face communication and to exchange email ids which some people are not at ease with thus somehow contribute in the educational process.

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  3. This article pertains mainly to the use of social networks as learning platforms. I agree to the fact that these tools can indeed be used as learning platforms. Learning does not necessarily mean acquiring academic knowledge but to gain knowledge or skill. Blogs can very well be used for this. A user can post comments, videos etc., pertaining to a particular subject matter, and people having access to these can comment, and eventually learn these. Moreover, comments turn into discussion threads, where everyone shares their ideas and thoughts, thus the learning process takes place. I find that these tools are advantageous such that, say, a lecturer creates a blog of his own where he posts articles, news, and notes pertaining to his research areas. His students thus gain academic knowledge. One fitting example would be this module, namely ILT2000, where students are in constant touch with their lecturer, and where academic learning and sharing takes place. There are also some negative aspects which cannot be ignored, such that it totally depends on the user on what information to share, whether good or bad. This social aspect also entrails moral and ethical aspects.

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  4. Learning via social networks, according to me, can be a blessing for some while a dilemma for others as not everyone is so friendly with these social networks and would still prefer the old traditional form of learning. Furthermore this type of learning has a major weakness, that is, due to the lack of direct communication with the teacher/instructor, students are not able to properly clarify any ambiguous questions they might have.

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  5. Web 2.0 tools like blogs and other applications such as Wikipedia are an important medium for learning. They provide important information at the rate of one click of the mouse only; although sometimes the amount of information they provide is much more than needed. Moreover, blogs allow members to post comments and even ask questions on a topic. Since a blog is not restricted to a country, or classroom, members across the world will comment and give their answers. This has the ability to expand the process of learning and increase communication between different cultures. More importantly, learning becomes more interesting through the use of these tools.

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  6. Web 2.0 interactive websites are the up-most necessary tool to convey knowledge from tutors to learners in our era. People learn easier without great needs through the on-line communities in forums. Thus,any recent discussion or comments on a subject matter in a forum can be identified to be a post in a blog. Facebook and Twitter (social networks) are examples of Web 2.0 places where educational type of learning can take place without the users being necessarily aware of it. Social networks are very useful tools for learning as they allow sharing of knowledge between different types of people with different intelligence level. But the question is: are all people over the world able to follow this trend and can also benefit of it?

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  7. By using Web 2.0, classroom discussion may increase. They may find themselves more at ease to say what they think about a topic. They may be in a better position to understand when discussing and interacting with their friends on these tools. The teacher may know how many students are active by seeing their participation level
    on blogs,etc.This would be rather difficult to do in a class where there are over 50 students. However, not every Web 2.0 application may aid in teaching and learning. The social networking site Facebook is an example. As said, through it minor information can be passed but students do not consider Facebook to be an educational site. Also certain health problems may arise when using too much of computer.

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  8. Using facebook as an educational tool may seem a bit weird at the beggining...but after reflection it is no a bad idea.Youngsters sign on facebook everyday and like doing so..so it would be a very good way to get them at learning.since facebook is a public social network, everybody can post its comments and one would hence learn from the posts of all his friends.The more people who gave their opinion, the more interesting would the discussion be.But I think that it can be used only as an additional way of learning.Definitely posting some educational resources on facebook cannot replace any lecture by a lecturer.

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  9. Everyone is on Facebook, some on twitter and now we have Google+. Yes web 2.0 is a great way of teaching, I agree that there is much to be learnt from on social networks, particularly when there are interesting discussions. It might not always be the case but certain people do post interesting things on their account. In this way, people learned without having the sense that they are being lectured or anything. More can be learned when discussing and posting comments.
    However, we should be realistic. Not all post may interest someone on social networks. When it comes to social network its more a way of gossiping or like it is said "face your problems, don't Facebook them".Only a small percentage of profiles post educational things otherwise its a teenage journal. A classroom is needed to teach and it has always been like that ever since the beginning. Human approach is better.In some cases the web 2.0 approach also is good. What I suggest is a two way learning. We have lectures and classes, but we may also have groups on Facebook itself for example so that teachers and students could discuss things that are related with what they learnt on that day.Whatsoever, the students will also have to be motivated and provided the incentive to discuss, post comments or read the post.

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  10. From my point of view Web 2.0 tools are mostly used for fun, thus cannot really be considered or used in education. It is true that was students are doing an online module and are thus using much of the web 2.0 tools like this blog for example but I would never be able to imagine my whole educational life based only on these informatics tools.
    Like this article has mention; ' a classroom is already a type of social network with many students interacting together', so even though the social network on the internet is much broader, it is not the best way to make people socialise and progress in their education. For me the web 2.0 tools will always remain ways from which I can 'polish' my general knowledge and be more critical towards different point of views, but making it an unavoidable tool in the educational field? NO, I will not agree to this.
    I do not consider Social network like Facebook or twitter to be educational tools, not at all! we not only spend much time in an unproductive manner on these social networks but it can also leads to conflict while being too much active on these by posting comments and replying to others or reading someone points of view which we did not appreciate.
    For me web 2.0 can be used only as an optional tool, not an essential one.

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  11. It is true that nowadays almost everyone is making use of social networking for better learning. Who does not have a facebook or twitter account? Even a child of 11 years old does have a facebook account. Yes, majority of them at first do create such accounts with the intention to communicate with close friends about informal things but we can`t ignore the fact that they are also numerous who do share information on the course they have enrolled. I will not go far for an example; I mainly use my facebook account to check notifications and new posts on the BCA group that we have created to know about new events taking place, messages communicated by lecturers about scheduling of classes or exams dates. The chances to post comments and know more about the specific events are very helpful too. Eventually, while preparing for a lecture, if a member finds an interesting site, we do post the web links in the BCA group which acts as a way of doing group works, sharing information without any discrimination and without having to set a meeting where everyone is not available. Some lecturers also prefer using social networking sites to share links, blogs,lectures and many other useful links. This also makes the students more at ease to communicate with them. So as seen, social networking do contribute in learning with some extents.

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  12. I agree that effective learning will take place with the use of 2.0 web tools. Learning does not only mean what is taught academically but rather acquiring new knowledge. while most students nowadays use blogs like Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, it becomes easier for them to learn new things. Everyone can be connected and share their different views on any topic. They share articles, news, views, which can benefit others. This also help them to develop their critical thinking. However, users should know with whom to connect as the social network has proved to be dangerous when misused.

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  13. It is true that Social Networking site is contributing in helping students to learn better. Who does not have a facebook or twitter account? Even a child of 11 years old does have a facebook account. Yes, sharing personal information or other informal information are the first things that come in our mind while signing in for such accounts but we cannot ignore the fact that we also become members to share information concerning education. I will not go far to take an example; I have a facebook account to check my notifications which friends have posted be it formal or informal. Eventually, I have subscribed myself in the group of BCA which is a platform created by us to share information concerning our course. Several students of my class as well as the seniors students post blogs, comments and other helpful information in this group. Moreover, we even elaborate or suggest useful links in the comments for revision which in turns helps as a group work without having to set meetings where everyone is not free. Any difficulties faced, any new events taking place or any news or messages communicated by the lecturers are even shared. This helps in socializing too. Not to forget many of the lecturers subscribed in these sites also tend to share lots of details which have not been discussed in the limited time during the lecture. It is a chance for students to interact with the lecturer without any hesitation and at any time or even personally via personal chat. When viewing in this way, social networking is helping in learning even though not to such an extent but it does give light to certain possibilities.

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  14. Educators that use web2.0 tools are more likely to teach much to students. This is simply true as today, teens spend much time on the web. Educators that use these tools are simply in a way making learning fun, they have learnt how to teach on the teens' platform that is facebook, blogs, twitter, etc...

    In my opinion, it is possible to learn a complete subject where no practice is required by using such tools. For example, an educator can post a subject, and learners are able to ask questions and get replies. I think so because we are already learning to a certain extent educational technologies online, so why not other subjects.
    I think that we can learn much more than simply be aware of lecturers tips and when there is class or not.

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  15. The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators of user-generated content in a virtual community, in contrast to websites where users (consumers) are limited to the passive viewing of content that was created for them. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wiki, video sharing sites, hosted services, web applications. Web 2.0 technologies provide teachers with new ways to engage students in a meaningful way. Children raised on new media technologies are less patient with filling out worksheets and listening to lectures because students already participate on a global level. The lack of participation in a traditional classroom stems more from the fact that students receive better feedback online. Traditional classrooms have students do assignments and when they are completed, they are just that, finished. However, Web 2.0 shows students that education is a constantly evolving entity. Whether it is participating in a class discussion, or participating in a forum discussion, the technologies available to students in a Web 2.0 classroom does increase the amount they participate.

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  16. In the era of technological world,people are going further in search of new inventions to facilitate learning. Web2.0 is a concept being used for the popularity of the web with articles, news, views, and opinions. Some examples are the twitter and facebook. Hence this eases the work of students as well as businessmen with the help of social network

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  17. Web 2.0 tools are being used excessively today especially for learning purposes. Yet how far are they equipped to allow such activities? Still, we use them for training and learning purposes like distance learning which is a boon for people living across the globe. Yet we cannot deny the fact that the virtual atmosphere is definitely not conducive for learning. For instance, if we consider Facebook as an application for learning, then we can definitely create groups whereby some parts of the lectures or topics or even problems can be discussed, but to run the entirety of the learning process on it is definitely out of the question as learners would categorically be more interested in gossiping with their friends who are online or writing on their walls and hurling comments on the least of matters.

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  18. According to me,social networks contribute a lot to our knowledge.We can voice out any topic where we want to know others opinions and views.It also build our characters,that's we become more "social" and interactive people.Due to social networks we get instant message and important news very fast.However there are no rules of how these social networks must be used and in what manner.I personally think that social networks widen our knowledge in a more positive manner than a negative one.

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  19. A simple definition of Web 2.0 is the “Read/Write Web.” Originally, the Internet was a place to locate information - mainly a "Read Only Web." As time has gone by, the Internet has slowly changed, web sites were developed that let people "write" and share information. Today’s Web 2.0 sites; like blogs, social networks; like Facebook and Wikipedia, enable people to communicate and collaborate.
    Educators face many challenges today. They must adapt to a generation of students who have grown up using the Web.
    Teachers must learn and teach information literacy that includes effectively using the Internet. These Web 2.0 applications can help students develop the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century world.
    We live in a global, knowledge-based economy. Students must master vital 21st century skills to survive in the world beyond the classroom. They must be able to
    • research using the Internet,
    • assess information,
    • work collaboratively,
    • communicate effectively,
    • think critically and creatively
    Working online is a real pleasure for most students nowadays and educator cannot ignore that fact. Still, students should not mix “pleasure” with “work”. Creating an account on Facebook for example, is mainly for friends and family. Teaching via facebook? I do not personally think it is a wise idea .A blog like our educational blog one is a very formal. Facebook to me is more informal.

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  20. I agree with what Siya has said .She rightly said that too much time spending in front of a computer brings a lot health issues. Allow me to build on that point. Health issues involving computers are called computer Ergonomics. Examples may be Eye disease, bad posture, computer stress injuries and hurting hands among others.
    Imagine students from University on Mauritius doing all modules online. Certainly she/he will have less social life and the authorities will be blaming youngsters to spend too much time in front of their computer screen when in fact the teaching model would change.
    I agree we have an online module which is Educational Technologies. I agree strongly that it is easier and more flexible to work at ease at home while having deadlines. Educators are also here to help us out when we have problems on subject matter.
    But still, nobody can ignore the human touch which lacks. The relationship amidst lecturers and students in a usual classroom is not present .For instance people in the forum barely know each other ,one may say that we know each other by name .Moreover, the real human touch and the personal interaction is something valuable that no blog or educational platform may offer to a student.

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  21. Web 2.0 is an example of web 2.0. What I can conclude from the article is that social networks are being used as a virtual classroom. Everyone can post their comments, opinions and other latest news as mention exam tips etc..
    As such, it is a must nowadays where students depend on the internet to learn more things and share it with their friends online on social networks blogs or their personal blog for instance. The main advantage is that everyone shares their views on a certain topics which clears doubt of others and increase personal belief and knowledge to some. In addition, things that cannot be said or asked ion class, can be posted on blogs.
    So to conclude, it is very nice to have facebook as a social network for learners to acquire skills of learning but still students should know how to make fair use of those social networks.

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  22. Web 2.0, in my opinion, allows much greater interaction between the students themselves rather than a group activity as one may be reluctant to participate in the debates and discussions. It is unimpeachable to contest the fact that Web 2.0 is sinequanon for information, articles and debates among others to reach the groups of interest. Opinions are essential as they allow for different perspectives to be considered when tackling a problem and a blog fits the window perfectly.

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  23. Day by day everywhere becomes computerized. Even at the university most after classes communication between lecturers and students are done via the use of emails, blogs, facebook or msn. There are different groups on facebook for example where students discuss common things, like a particular module or any difficulties and to pass important messages. The evolving world of Internet communication -- blogs, podcasts, tags etc offer students radically new ways to research, create, and learn. Where students used to spend long periods of time at the library to search for books, we now have everything just by some clicks! Networking can change the way we view education and teaching. We can share links, video chat (eg skype ), group discussion online and clear doubts. It is also a forum where we get to make new friends and socialize more.

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  24. Nushrat Jowaheer19 October 2011 at 21:27

    From my point of view social networking is not a good way to promote learning, and I think that, social networking would infact distort student in some way. This is true that it will bring other people together; however instead of focusing on particular items, they would be diverted by other things. Learning means achieving knowledge which the web2.0 facilities, but learning does not mean to type a word and find a series of answers, someone become a good learner, when he/ she looks for their answers and try to solve the problem by themselves with the reference to books. Furthermore through online classes the tutors cannot monitor each student as they should. I would prefer to abide by the traditional classroom rather than focusing on online classes.

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  25. yes i do agree with you vashi. Social networking has contributed to great extent in learning. It is useful to everyone in different ways where sharing of information, discussion of a topic can be elaborated. Thus, confusion are eliminated

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  26. Interestingly, the popularity of facebook might confused people into overusing it. They might think that facebook can be ubiquitous, in other words, that it can be used everywhere. However, this is far from the truth since facebook has been designed to accomplish other things such as staying connected with friends by posting statuses and comments among others.
    Instead of a learning tool, facebook and twitter likewise, as well as other social networks are distractions to that particular purpose due to their different nature of purpose. On the other hand, blog can be used as a good online learning tool whereby constructive topics can be discussed by several parties.
    As far as efficient and productive learning is concerned, distraction must be avoided at all cost, hence the use of dedicated online systems such as moodles or blackboards can be used.

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  27. This article relates learning with web 2.0 including social networks like twitter, facebook which are more or less same type of social networks. I agree that nowadays, educators have found the web 2.0 as a new and interesting medium for learning. However, I must emphasize that students cannot read and learn things which are posted by anyone on blogs, on social networks such as facebook. Those who post notes, articles, claim facts which are not written anywhere are not people on whom students can rely on. I do not agree with the fact given that educational technologist are opting for applications like Wikis for learning. The information and facts given by wikis on the internet are not reliable. These can be written by and later modified by any internet user. Considering web 2.0 tools as modern tools is a good thing since we must progress with the new technologies, however students do not really use social networks, blogs and other tools for learning. Instead of using it for learning, they would spend time chatting, play games and other stuffs. Very few are those who take social networks, blogs as learning tools. Comparing this type of learning to the one in a classroom, I would rather opt for learning in a classroom because there, we are totally focused on the professor’s talks, there are no distractions. If we really considered that facebook is a means of communicating a lecturer with his students, then it would have been done till now. No formal university mails systems would have been built. There are groups of university students created on social networks like facebook to keep in touch but still it is not of great use. To some extent, I agree that there are blogs which are made, like this one made for the Educational technology where views are shared, comments are made, bloggers get to know the different ideas of people who read their blogs to innovate it further, where students are serious and have agreed to take blogs, a web 2.0 tool as a learning tool. But from a student point of view, not many students would agree to sit in front of the net, read these blogs, and then comment for learning purposes.

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  28. Rama i do agree with you to some extent but suppose we are in the same class, what you are saying here is we can ask educators questions which could not be asked in the class. The main problem is if many students start to think in the same way, the educators will stop replying us on our educational blog as it is really time consuming to reply to questions of his students which will tend to accumulate with time. And personally, i do not agree with you when you said that learners can acquire skills with a site like facebook, where whenever you want to read something interesting concerning your course to gain knowledge, a friend comes to chat with you, or you get a notification to reply someone on a post. Well there is no focus at the end and hence time has been lost mainly on distractions and not on what you had decided. By the way, till now facebook users still take that site to be a site to chill, to cheer up, especially students who are fed up with studies, facebook a bit to refresh the mind.

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  29. Reply to Numrata’s comment of 15 Oct 2011 @ 23:48:-
    I would like to say that I don’t agree partly with the fact that social networking cannot be a blessing in our daily learning environment because although a person might not be friendly with these tools, like mentioned, like it has been said earlier(From Anonym writer of 14Oct 2011 @ 13:06), it does not help at all for the core learning except that they help share important information and data quicker and easier.

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  30. Technology-savvy educators and educational technologists suggest that in order to learn we should use modern tools. Of course, the world become computerized and we need them to learn and to do work. The web is vast, it stores many information to learn. Most all of us must have a facebook account, it is one of the most popular site on which we can communicate and share things. Students spend most on there time on it and searching and spending lots of time at the library which is meaningless, where at home we can surf and find all things on the web in one second. Now, there are many new technologies available like Ipad which is not so popular but after sometimes which can replace the laptop and thus everywhere we go we will be connected to the net. May be mobile phone will be suppressed as we know we have many types of software like Skype which a very useful communication. If ever we have a course on which we do understand we can still ask lecturers by email or we can simply make some research on the web. When we talk about education and technology, these two things are very well connected.

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  31. It is no denying that today learning is done using tools like blogs, social networks and applications like Wikis for learning or in education.
    These tools offer the possibility to post our opinion and views on a subject like it is a debate and people may learn nearly all aspects they did not think about with other people’s views and opinion. Also, these tools may help us post questions on any particular subject and other people may reply and we can choose the best answer which we understand for example a question on statistics which we cannot do, can have many ways of being done in order to get the answer. When other people may post, we can see all and choose the post we understand completely.
    In my opinion, social networks is more appropriate for us youngsters whether physical or online, as we will not be shy to ask questions compared to asking one to a lecturer in front of 100 other people. This shows that effective learning will take place with social networks. Furthermore, we will all be enjoying the learning by social networks and to enjoy learning is equal to meaningful learning.

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  32. Even though I fully agree that the use of web 2.0 tools like blogs and social networks are very useful in teaching, I believe that we should not underestimate the typical classes without the use web 2.0 tools. Even though communication is easily passed through the comments and discussion threads, in my opinion, it cannot replace face-to-face communication.

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  33. According to me web 2.0 is a great advantage to us nowadays especially for students as they can do their group work online itself rather than going to meet at a place to do it.It saves time of every individuals. Being a student of a class of only 48 students, we had all decided to create a private group on Facebook so that we could facilitate communication, help each other and also share learning views.It is a source of communicating among people.But some people like to hack profile on facebook etc so we should know how to make fair use of those social networks.

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  34. The comment of Vashi is really true. Computerisation has invade everywhere is this new world of eduction. From our home to our class, it is being used all the time. I agree on this fact. But to my point of view it does not mean that it is the best way to study because using too much of wed 2.0 tools can also becomes a problem if we are too dependent on this way of learning rather that consulting books.For example I case of power cut it will be a big problem to work.

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  35. The first thing that came into my mind when i read this blog is the fact that youngsters are more present in social network sites than in classes!!

    As it is very often said; we should move on with time. It's true that with social networking discussion work becomes more interesting and research more rapid. Moreover, everything is online nowadays and most youngsters are ever ready to really learn online. So, why not?

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  36. Anything that we learn have an impact on our life, learning can never and will never be meaningless. Learning gives us an aim to achieve, a dream to realise and so on. To make learning easier, there are many types of applications like Wikis and this saves us, students, from spending hours reading in the libraries looking for notes and explanations.
    There is the process of globalisation where every people are interrelated and interconnected and the use of Web 2.0 like blogs, facebook, forums, twitter, hotmail, msn and other social networks keeps us together and informs us that is happening worldwide and this helps us in our studies. The Web 2.0 acts like a means of communication such as facebook, that connects people all around the world. Even if facebook is not related to the learning process but this enables us to get information and news from other persons and specially friends where we share notes. But yet this use of Web 2.0 is accessible to everyone and this is a disadvantage as this does not saves us from computer hackers, cybercrimes and unsolicited messages.

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  37. In todays era existing social networking (Facebook,Tweeter) can't be used for education as people has already developed the
    critical thought that this is for fun purposes.According to me this would be completely disastrous as there would be a lack of concentration from students and also encouraging student to lose time on such networks.However, web 2.0 tools could be use
    to build up special network solely for education purposes-eg forum.

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  38. In fact, Web 2.0 Social network & learning is a useful tool for education as it touched maximum audience. Youngsters are more involved in discussion in forums and blogs than in classroom. Also, nowadays everyone is connected to Facebook and other blogs and forums where they share information, ideas and opinions. In addition, one can post a question and several answers are obtained. As a result one can choose what answer is the best and can also choose their topic of interest. This method of learning proved to be advantageous as one break their timidity and we learn at ease and leisurely. Since most of us spend most of our time on the internet, we are thus making wise use of our time if we are constantly connected to these forums and blogs and at the same time we are learning and gaining knowledge. In addition with the search engine it is easier to look for information and document as well. However, it can prove to be disadvantageous, as not all people get access to the internet and one may reluctant to join any forums or blogs. On the basis of its positive aspects web 2.0 social network and learning can be used as a platform for learning

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  39. Well social networks can provide a means for communication among a group of persons can exchange their views, opinion and information concerning a topic.
    Facebook and Twitter (social networks) are examples of Web 2.0 networks. I don’t totally agree that these web 2.0 tools are meant for learning academically because on social networks people tend to spend leisure time and will very little use it for educational purpose. But i may concur that learning does not necessarily mean acquiring academic knowledge but also general knowledge and ability. One most common example is that most classes possess a private group on ‘Facebook’ so that they could facilitate communication, help each other and also share learning views, but i can easily say that many of my friends use it as a pastime!
    Coming to blogs, i don’t share the same opinion since they work contrary to facebook or twitter. Members may post comments and even ask questions on a topic. One great advantage is that it is not restricted within a country. Members across the world will comment and give their answers. This has the ability to expand the process of learning and increase communication between different minds.

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  40. Nushrat Jowaheer20 October 2011 at 22:12

    From my point of view social networking is not a good way to promote learning, and I think that, social networking would infact distort student in some way. This is true that it will bring other people together; however instead of focusing on particular items, they would be diverted by other things. Learning means achieving knowledge which the web2.0 facilities, but learning does not mean to type a word and find a series of answers, someone become a good learner, when he/ she looks for their answers and try to solve the problem by themselves with the reference to books. Furthermore through online classes the tutors cannot monitor each student as they should. I would prefer to abide by the traditional classroom rather than focusing on online classes.

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  41. In fact, Web 2.0 Social network & learning is a useful tool for education as it touched maximum audience. Youngsters are more involved in discussion in forums and blogs than in classroom. Also, nowadays everyone is connected to Facebook and other blogs and forums where they share information, ideas and opinions. In addition, one can post a question and several answers are obtained. As a result one can choose what answer is the best and can also choose their topic of interest. This method of learning proved to be advantageous as one break their timidity and we learn at ease and leisurely. Since most of us spend most of our time on the internet, we are thus making wise use of our time if we are constantly connected to these forums and blogs and at the same time we are learning and gaining knowledge. In addition with the search engine it is easier to look for information and document as well. However, it can prove to be disadvantageous, as not all people get access to the internet and one may reluctant to join any forums or blogs. On the basis of its positive aspects web 2.0 social network and learning can be used as a platform for learning

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  42. In fact, Web 2.0 Social network & learning is a useful tool for education as it touched maximum audience. Youngsters are more involved in discussion in forums and blogs than in classroom. Also, nowadays everyone is connected to Facebook and other blogs and forums where they share information, ideas and opinions. In addition, one can post a question and several answers are obtained. As a result one can choose what answer is the best and can also choose their topic of interest. This method of learning proved to be advantageous as one break their timidity and we learn at ease and leisurely. Since most of us spend most of our time on the internet, we are thus making wise use of our time if we are constantly connected to these forums and blogs and at the same time we are learning and gaining knowledge. In addition with the search engine it is easier to look for information and document as well. However, it can prove to be disadvantageous, as not all people get access to the internet and one may reluctant to join any forums or blogs. On the basis of its positive aspects web 2.0 social network and learning can be used as a platform for learning

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  43. In fact, Web 2.0 Social network & learning is a useful tool for education as it touched maximum audience. Youngsters are more involved in discussion in forums and blogs than in classroom. Also, nowadays everyone is connected to Facebook and other blogs and forums where they share information, ideas and opinions. In addition, one can post a question and several answers are obtained. As a result one can choose what answer is the best and can also choose their topic of interest. This method of learning proved to be advantageous as one break their timidity and we learn at ease and leisurely. Since most of us spend most of our time on the internet, we are thus making wise use of our time if we are constantly connected to these forums and blogs and at the same time we are learning and gaining knowledge. In addition with the search engine it is easier to look for information and document as well. However, it can prove to be disadvantageous, as not all people get access to the internet and one may reluctant to join any forums or blogs. On the basis of its positive aspects web 2.0 social network and learning can be used as a platform for learning

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  44. replying to Justine:
    From what view do you see facebook as an educational tool? It is certainly a social network where rather personal problems are solved!!! Ask yourself the question..after logging to f.b what are the things that you are strongly ‘attracted’ to find? How many times have you post questions concerning your lectures?

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  45. Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web.
    With Web 2.0, information can be pulled from a number of different places, and it can be personalized to meet the needs of a single user.
    It could be said that Web 2.0 will allow the mass population to communicate with each other and spread ideas rather than receiving their information from a single authority. Based on the descriptions above, it should be easy to see the advantages of this system. Information will flow freely, and people can express their ideas without fear of repression. Web 2.0 would make the Internet a true democratic system, a digital democracy.

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  46. By now 2 out of 3 homes do have a computer; therefore students are continuously in touch with internet and what if offer them. Web 2.0, online courses, can be a benefit for both the students and their educators, one did not have this to sit for more than 2 hours in an uncomfortable chair and the other one did not have to force out its voice to speak for more than 2 hours. Posting on blogs like facebook and twitter are efficient way to keep in touch with students and courses as they spend much of their time on them. These social networks will help students to share their views and opinions with others and understand them as well. Learners did not have to wait for educators to learn something as everything is post online and is accessible to all.
    On the other hand we should bear in mind that those social networks are often used to spend leisure times and students will tend to pay attention to fun rather than courses.

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  47. The web 2.0 is one of the truly innovative tool which has been by far developed, though it has its negative impact but certainly enhance our day to day activities. Imagining life without the web 2.0 actually is nearly impossible.

    The main debate about whether social network can form part of the educational curriculum; and can learning be done through social network? The thing is that the social network mainly connect the world and pool different kind of people and different kind of their thoughts together which is a good thing but still learning associating learning material to it may not be the best thing to be done.

    Let social network (like facebook, twitter) be the kind of leisure activities which people spend with their virtual friends rather than opting to serve it like a learning platform. Though to some extent social networks, do pool constructive information.
    However, Blogs and online databases can be inserted definitely in learning whereby students post their views, materials in the form of videos, useful links etc from lecturer as well as from students. This will surely enhance our education level. And when different minds join in a better result is achieved that is why if student cultivate this manner of sharing information (through blog also) we can expect better performances.

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  48. From my point of view, I think that learning through multimedia is really something good,as it forges our knowledge.It would be very interesting if teachers or lecturers could have used Web 2.o (social networking)in classes as it brings several benefits like(1)it creates a connection to today’s students to the real world; as such, implementing those tools in the educational arena can help prepare students to use them in real-world venues.(2) it allows for authentic assessment. Thus the effects of Web 2.0 simply cannot be ignored today and so on.It allows so much interactions between students as Reetesh has mentioned.

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  49. From my point of view, I think that learning through multimedia is really something good,as it forges our knowledge.It would be very interesting if teachers or lecturers could have used Web 2.o (social networking)in classes as it brings several benefits like(1)it creates a connection to today’s students to the real world; as such, implementing those tools in the educational arena can help prepare students to use them in real-world venues.(2) it allows for authentic assessment. Thus the effects of Web 2.0 simply cannot be ignored today and so on.It allows so much interactions between students as Reetesh has mentioned.

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  50. According to me,Due to its highly interactive natures, users of Web 2.0 technologies increase quickly, those web 2.0 tools are often represented in the forms of blogs, wiki, podcast internet photo album, video blog, RSS Browser, Memo Pad, etc.The Web 2.0 is not only an information collector or a dispensable teaching-aided media for the teacher, but also it may become a very important factor for the learning patterns changing.firstly for the teachers, technology with Web 2.0 can be used as teacher’s knowledge-management tool and media for multiple sides dialogue. In a hybrid teaching environment, discussion facilitated online can transfer to reflection and discussion face to face, resulting in collective meaning-making.
    secondly for the students, Web 2.0 can be used as convenient way for learning from course designed by teacher and open platform for discussion among classmates and teacher.
    thirdly for the interactions between students and teachers, the features of Web 2.0 can promote the coordinated cooperation between teachers and students. It is not only can be used as new meeting place for knowledge innovation but also can be used as the base of social action.Nowadays, due to the advent of Web 2.0 technology, technology makes the teaching tools be a main role.Due to the advancement in the technology itself, the role of technology in teaching activity is gradually positioned as learning partner to most people.

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  51. I don't really agree with anonyme who wrote on 19 october 2011. Messages are circulated very fast -agreed, but what kind of information are they really..i really doubt that they do concern the learning process. You also said that we become more "sociable and interactive". I do wonder how far is that true...as according to me interaction and socialisation is found among real people which in fact develop our personality, not virtual ones whom we can't even trust...Whether the social network really widen our horizon of knowlegde in the academic sector is yet to be judged as it is personal and varies from one to the other. usually they are simply used to spy on others...deny it if I'm wrong...

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  52. In a modern era, communication and the effectiveness and efficiency of the latter are of paramount importance. In this context, the optimisation of social networks as learning platforms can yield great benefits. Facebook, for instance, if strict parameters of action are predefined, can be an ideal learning platform where there is the unimpeded flow of knowledge. Groups can be created whereby only specific individuals concerned by the content to be shared/discussed are allowed to join. Group settings can be modified according to needs and requirements. From personal experience, I can say that such a platform can be hugely beneficial in terms of speed of transmission of messages/information and the amount of information that can be shared instantly with all group members. This also allows for discussion where the members can express themselves freely. However, such a platform does have a few drawbacks, which fortunately can be overcome if proper actions are initiated at the right time. The members must only post content that is ethically and morally correct. The admin therefore is responsible to ensure that no improper content is being displayed and can take the necessary actions against any individual who ignores the ethical and moral aspects that must be respected. It is up to the admin to set the parameters of action so that a healthy learning platform is maintained.

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  53. Social networking sites are said to be web-based services that allow people to establish a public or semi public profile whereby they can share ideas and views with each other. Social networking, nowadays are also used as a tool to encourage e-learning. One good example of how social networking can be useful for students and classmates is that information or notes can be shared among themselves more easily and quickly. As a student of Law and Management Yr1 our class has created a group on facebook whereby all notes and necessary information are being transmitted, we have the dates of our assessments, the deadlines for our assignments or which is more interesting we even post what we have learnt in class on the group and those who were absent will be able to catch up with the notes posted online. This is an efficient way of using social networking. However some students misuse this social networking as their minds are deviated for example photos, games applications which easily tempt them.

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  54. My point of view is that web 2.0 and social networks is a good way of learning as it connect the whole population together like in facebook thus allowing people from different countries to share their views about a certain topic and at the same time learning other people method of tackling problems.
    Also any basic discussion taking place can broaden our knowledge which is not the case in classes where education is done within four wall.
    Moreover in class, student usually feels intimidating and rarely share their point of view in front of their friends in case of being wrong and hence stay in doubt.

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  55. Nowadays educational technologies have greatly changed the mode of teaching and learning. This has caused a shift from traditional learning to a more computer base one. Wed 2.0 tool is one such example which includes blogs, wikis, and social networks.
    Blogs provides an online platform whereby students can post their queries or questions on specific topics and these are answered by other students or people. Thus it can be regards as a form of virtual class. Facebook for instance which are gaining more popularities each day is regard as a social networks. Facebook greatly help student since group can be created where it provide a means of communication among a group of students. For example we have created a group for our class (bio yr 2) where we exchange views, opinion and information concerning different topic and also post important information concerning our course like the date of our class test or tips from our lectures. Also the social network approach and blogs enables us to share our views and interact with other students in different countries hence they expand over wider geographical areas. Wikis like Wikipedia greatly help students to hunt for notes and knowledge more quickly and easily in our field of studies hence promote learning. The ILT2000: Educational Technologies (2011/12) module is a very good example where all the features of web 2.0 are being applied.
    However the major drawbacks of such system apply to those students who do not have access to internet facilities as these technologies a fully depend on internet. Furthermore we tend to diverge our attention to issues not related to our core learning process and also are more prone to repetitive strain injuries.

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  56. Web 2.0, social networks and learning
    Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing. It allows users to interact with different people. We are living in a highly competitive society where technology is a must to keep us connected. As a student of university, I myself use facebook and other applications for my project work by keeping myself connected with my friends working on the project. In this way we can discuss on the work anytime and wherever we are.
    But some people are still not familiar with technology and they need time to adapt. Additionally, webs 2.0, social network indeed facilitate us in our educational process.

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  57. Web 2.0, social networks and learning
    Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing. It allows users to interact with different people. We are living in a highly competitive society where technology is a must to keep us connected. As a student of university, I myself use facebook and other applications for my project work by keeping myself connected with my friends working on the project. In this way we can discuss on the work anytime and wherever we are.
    But some people are still not familiar with technology and they need time to adapt. Additionally, webs 2.0, social network indeed facilitate us in our educational process.

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  58. Engage in social networking while learning the fundamentals of Web 2.0 technologies that foster cohesion, connect classrooms globally, and generate content via social interaction. Throughout this course, learners explore social networking resources that are available to educators and how these technologies can transform teaching and learning. Learn to create professional learning networks that integrate into the classroom.

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  59. Dear Justine I agree with your point,
    Facebook started as a closed social networking for high school students in the US, with the purpose of helping them keep contact with their classmates and other high school friends. It meant to be an online yearbook, which always has the entire student's faces in it, hence the name "Facebook", but make it come to life and be dynamic. Only later it was decided to make it into an open global social network, which is what it is today also u said it will only help as an additional lecture not a lecturer which is true.

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  60. As a student the web 2.0 tools can be used in the education pathway whereby important information or issues need to be shared or discussed. One can learn more or even have a different perception about an issue from views of different people thus social networking contribute in learning. The old way of teaching should not be neglected instead one should see this new technology, social networking as a help to develop his critical thinking, to have a different concept of things, thus it should be an additional tool in learning.

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  61. According to me, Web 2.0 is a good thing for youngsters. It is a good mean of communication among friends and it give us many facilities. With this concept like Facebook, we can create different platforms like group representing a faculty of the university. People can use this group to keep in touch with the faculty, it is easier and user-friendly. Nowadays every student has a Facebook account or a twitter account. Forum discussion have many advantages, for example when we don't understand something about a work we post something in a forum discussion or in a particular group and we have an answer in a brief delay. Thus this new concept is very interesting but still we must know have to use it in a good way.

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  62. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  63. I totally agree with vashi. Since everybody are in contact with the latest technologies. Therefore it is much easier to communicate and keep people up to date. For university student, simple click for research work and other purposes is much easier instead of spending hours in library where there is lots of disturbance. Group discussions, video chat can be carried out and is less boring.

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  64. Web2.0 tools like blogs are helpful in learning where students can share their opinion about a subject or post their comments to their friends wall.However, communicating with others in a classroom also refer to social network thus it may not be necessary to create web like blogs or social network software as this may have its drawbacks such as anyone can post anything to your walls or profile.people can use this social network for spending their leisure time rather than educational purpose.

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  65. Everything is evolving in our modern world. Indeed, Web 2.0 tools like blogs and social networks are very important in our education system. For example, on blog we can post our comment, discuss and even solve problems in a matter of second. It is opened, everyone in the world can give their views. Facebook is another form of communication. Nowadays, students at the university do not have enough time to point out their opinions concerning class issues. Hence, everyone can post their queries in a matter of second.

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  66. I agree with what vashi has said.The world is becoming more computerized.With the advent of blogs and more importantly facebooks,our education system can surely improve.At the university with lot of work,we cannot have enough time to discuss classroom issues,while on facebook,in a matter of second we can resolve a problem.Moreover,instead of wasting time uneccesarily serching for a particular book in the library,we can get the required information in a short lapse of time.

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  67. I agree that the usage of Web 2.0 tools concept contributes to a large extent to the development of education. It is an aspect that should be taken into consideration since nowadays there is a preference for such kind of learning with the emergence of social networks and blogs.
    Although such tools allow more sharing of knowledge, it should be used abstemiously as they should not replace the traditional methods of learning.

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  68. I agree that the usage of Web 2.0 tools concept contributes to a large extent to the development of education. It is an aspect that should be taken into consideration since nowadays there is a preference for such kind of learning with the emergence of social networks and blogs.
    Although such tools allow more sharing of knowledge, it should be used abstemiously as they should not replace the traditional methods of learning.

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  69. I agree with Yashine said, that is, using web 2.0 tools is indeed not a very productive learning system even if in some exceptional cases it might be but in most cases it’s not. There might quite some reasons for it but the main reason is what Yashine wrote, since it is almost impossible for youngsters to use social network just as a mean to learn.

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  70. The two-way Web has arrived, accompanied by a raft of affordances that expand how we teach, communicate, learn and create knowledge. Web 2.0 services such as blogs, wikis and social bookmarking applications, as well as social networking sites like MySpace, Friendster and Facebook, are seen as more social and personal. These tools can indeed be used as a learning platforms and in this way learning will be much more interactive and students will understand much better than sitting in a class where the teaching is explaining at one go without stopping. However, these social networks are rather perceived as informal as people may post any kind of comments. The use of web 2.0 and social networks have both advantages and disadvantages depending on how it is being used.

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  71. Web 2.0, Social Networks and Learning……
    In my opinion, social networking popularity is sure to grow much more. Web 2.0 allows readers to share their thoughts on a particular piece and this has led to an emergence of close-knit virtual communities. The social networking websites are also used to promote blogs and services. Such tools provide greater interaction between people and has made world a small pace where everyone can stay connected. Networking makes students to view education at a different angle as they have much more facilities and new ways to tackle their problems.

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  72. Web 2.0 tools are making serious in-roads into Higher Education to help create a social and collaborative learning environment. Web 2.0 is simply a term that refers to the new era of internet use and it can take the form of Blogs, Wikis ,Podcasts, mashups .It is indeed a great way of teaching. Social networks like Facebook is advantageous as at the university itself many students are on this site where at any time they can consult each other to share notes, to discuss between themselves on queries they have, some students even exchanges books on this site. Learning can be merged with web 2.0 but somehow it should not as people tend to spend much of their time on social networks like facebook to post funny comments on their friend’s walls. Not everyone will use these networks for educational purposes. The use of web 2.0 and social networks for learning should be optional.

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  73. Joanna Mootoosamy22 October 2011 at 23:57

    The use of blogs, social networks, video sharing sites and other applications is becoming widespread.
    In fact, these tools are becoming the main tools in educational systems, that is, they are used most of the times.
    Web 2.0 is only a way to promote online educational systems, but it also allows us to make kinds of group discussions by posting and commenting on shares of other people. For example, Facebook can be used for educational purposes, where a group is created mainly for educational posts such as recaps on lectures, homework, questions; in this way, all of us can participate to give our views and opinions.
    However, we must be aware that the use of blogs may sometimes leads astray; they may not always be completely educational and thus not much learning is done properly since posts other than those concerning learning matters may distract us.

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  74. This truth cannot be denied. Nowadays almost all youngsters have an account on twitter or facebook. It is to be noted that actually am a newcomer on facebook and according to my own experience I rather use facebook mostly for spending leisure time on it that is for chatting purposes, checking notification, commenting on friends’ status among others. According to me the original purpose of facebook is to keep in touch with friends and relatives. Thus using facebook as an educational tool is not obvious as youngsters are more tempted to chat with friends rather than learning. However, my class has created a private account on facebook whereby friends post lots of interesting links related to my field of study and they also keep me informed about the latest development that has taken place such as date of a class test, last date of submission of an assignment, sharing point of views on a specific topic among others. This actually helps me in my education but not really to a great extent. It is to be noted that it just act as an additional tool, I cannot see myself considering facebook as a permanent learning tool due to many distraction related to it. An example of a blog where information is shared, views of different people are published is the VCILT itself. This blog is good in the sense that we do not have to attend classes, thus we save time which we can use for revision purposes, and also we get to learn lots of things which help us broaden our knowledge. But on a personal note I think that attending classes, being in contact with the lecturer help me to understand better about the topic being discussed. Moreover, health problem is a major concern related to excessive use of computers. These include eye strain, head ache, back pain among others.

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  75. The use of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs,wikis or social networks is in field of education has proved to be very useful and efficient.Blogs can be used to post messages and displayed,others people connected to this blog can post comments and enhancing discussion on the specific topics and bringing solutions to the problems encountered,and it has global access where people around the world can share their knowledge.Wikipedia are important means of learning as we can get access to a pool of information in a few seconds,social networks such as Facebook can be a good medium for educational purposes if made of good uses, sometimes friends post important messages such as assignments to be done or reschedule of class-test, which are meaningful information.Therefore learning becomes more interactive,fun and encouraging if we have so many mediums helping us to study.

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  76. Numrata, i don't agree with your point of view. At least for the first point. In my view, every teenager si connected to some social networks. Almost every teenager has a facebook account. It can be true that they don't spend much time on it, but they do have an account. Secondly, many students who do not use facebook or other networks do so when they get to, for example university, as all their friends and classmates are there. However, it will be better to make the person aware that some informations are circulating on the web.

    However, i agree with the fact that it lacks of personal contact. Therefore, web2.0 tools should be used as a complementary learning.

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  77. Learning expansion will most probably occur if educators make us of web 2.0 and social networks. We are in 2011 and nearly every youngster has a facebook or twitter account. So what is the best means of communicating with them if not by making use of their favourite website? The majority of students sign in their account almost every single day. Learning can be made more interesting if students are learning in an environment familiar to them. Through these learning platforms students can have easy contact with their tutors and vice versa. In addition, from my viewpoint ideally web 2.0 tools should be favoured instead of social networks as students ‘attention could be directed towards what their peers are doing rather than the course itself. F or students not benefiting from computer and especially internet facilities, though their number is becoming more and more scarce , applying to online courses will be difficult.

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  78. In this modern world of today we can see that many of us students, and also in the world of jobs and businesses, people are connected to blogs like Facebook and Twitter. These make interactions easier and more efficient.However people should be quite careful while using these sites for sharing of information, as the more sophisticated the site is, the more developed and equipped are the viruses and threats.

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  79. Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web.
    With Web 2.0, information can be pulled from a number of different places, and it can be personalized to meet the needs of a single user.
    It could be said that Web 2.0 will allow the mass population to communicate with each other and spread ideas rather than receiving their information from a single authority. Based on the descriptions above, it should be easy to see the advantages of this system. Information will flow freely, and people can express their ideas without fear of repression. Web 2.0 would make the Internet a true democratic system, a digital democracy.

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  80. Today we are living in the era of technology. New technologies are being used in many sectors like financial, manufacturing, communication and many others. This is because new-created technologies are here so as to facilitate human lives. Why the educational sector does not follow the same trend?

    The use of blogs and wikis are very beneficial to students and I think that they must be use as new teaching methods.
    Blogs have many advantages; students can work at any place and at any time.
    So this limits the risk of missing classes when teaching is done at a certain time in a certain place. Students are much more motivated when using blogs as a learning strategy and this is because many students like using technology. Student are motivated in a sense that instead of sitting in a class, not participating and most of the time day-dreaming, students collaborate and discuss on the blog. Also students are more active throughout the course when using a blog. Blogs also gives learners opportunities to read and write and this is very important to develop thinking and expressing skills of students.
    Blogs are also very easy to use; a person must not be a genus to uses a computer, access to the internet and to blogs. They contain a lot of images, interesting texts and videos and so learners are more interested to read and learn these materials.
    A blog also is less costly because at the end buying pens, copybook, and etc cost a lot. Also traveling cost a lot of money. All these advantages show that the use of blogs is very beneficial to students and I think that they must be use as new teaching methods.


    In my point of view the use of web 2.0 tools like blogs, social networks and all other type of applications should be used in our Mauritian educational system.
    In this article dated Wednesday 22nd of June 2011 I have found that people are still debating about using modern tools at all cost for all educational systems. I think that using educational technologies must be a must in our society. One example is the social network facebook. I can say that this web 2.0 tool is a very good example of web tools can be useful. For our class we have a group on facebook where we share information on our modules, practical sessions and examinations. Many of the students have found and still found this initiative very useful. This is because we can share and help each other by communicating by facebook and this helps in socializing too.

    However even if using web 2.0 has a lot of advantages it is good to put emphasis on many other aspects. Bloggers most of the time have no privacy and security. Also in a blog anyone can say what he or she wants and sometimes bloggers tend to use defamatory languages.

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  81. web 2.0 is one whereby people get access to various articles,news and along which discussion can be carried out.In this particular article, facebook is said to be an example of web 2.0 which in some case i agree as many people ,today, are connected with facebook, twitter and more recently,google+.They can get access any time and be part of any discussion. However, i don't really think that facebook can be a great idea for educational purposes as many people spend their time on it only for relaxation period. The discussions are mainly informal and thus not much can be acquired via facebook or twitter.

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  82. In this modern world everythings are becoming computerized.At school computers have become an integral part now instead of being a supplemental feature. Most of the people have got an account on twitter, skype,msn and facebook to communicate with friends and relatives from abroad or in different regions.many people especially students use the web 2.0 tools to retrieve information or to do research for their studies, do group discussions. However many of them tend to spend to much time on the internet developing all sorts of health problems. For examples ; headache, eye and mental problems etc.. moreover many people also used it is the wrong way.

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  83. The world is evolving at a stunning pace and so are we.As students we should be able to adjust to the trends arousing whether in the educational field for instance or elsewhere. Using social networks as a means of learning or teaching process is not a bad idea as far as i am concerned.Besides the web 2.0 tool is being somehow inherent for learning purposes.We can learn on Facebook for e.g though it is quite peculiar and informal.Someone can post academic questions to clear out the misunderstandings or doubts encountered in the classroom earlier, and hence his peers or anyone who deem to help can adhere their knowledge, views and opinions. Learning and teaching becomes quite interesting and exciting in this way.However we should use social networks fairly and judiciously. At the very momemt we are all contributing to the advancement of social network on this blog! We are sharing our concerns and opinions to answer the given topic!our information could be hence be used to detrmine whether social network and learning could marry or not!:)

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  84. I do agree that Web 2.0 gives a vaster networking system. However a wider network does not necessarily mean that information and educational tools would be passed more easily as there exists entertainment facilities on Web 2.0 such as online games and chats.These will definitely divert minds of students using Web 2.0 as compared to social network in a classroom.However if as stated Web 2.0 is used as an informative tool,then it is very useful,as in spite of just announcing the venue of a test in class, students can have a reminder using Web 2.0. Moreover this idea of expansion of network is important, as considering a social network in a class means a limited number of comments and views on particular topic discussions, while using Web 2.0, the number of views and comments(considering the useful ones only)is unlimited, hence giving a wider view of a particular topic. Here comes the advantage of chats,video calls. These help to socialize with more people, hence building critical thinking.

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  85. Today most students have an account on one of these social networks like Facebook and Twitter. On these networks they share many types of things with their friends and they even form peer groups. For instance these groups share their problems and views on a specific course. Even if they are entertaining themselves on these networks, they are also using it as a form of learning. Hence in the coming years these social networks would become a way where education can be done.

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  86. Nowadays more and more people are using all the different social networks (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, My Space... etc) found on the web. Students pass most of their free times on them as it acts as a form of entertainment for them. However in an indirect way these social networks act as some learning tools. Sometimes there are the exchange of knowledge between them and other people from different countries. Thus education can be done through these social networks.

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  87. Web 2.0 is a great tool in education. It provides lecturers with new ways to engage students in a meaningful way and shows students that education is a constantly evolving entity. Moreover, students in a web 2.0 classroom are expected to collaborate with their peers. By making the shift to a web 2.0 classroom, lecturers are creating a more open atmosphere where students are likely to stay engaged and participate in the discussions and learning that is taking place around them. However, some web 2.0 sites, like Facebook and Twitter are mainly used for leisure purposes rather than educational purposes but can still be used to share important information. It is also possible to allow communication among existing groups of people. This can enormously help when group work has to be done. According to me, making web 2.0 a must in education is not a good idea.

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  88. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  89. The two-way Web has arrived, accompanied by a raft of affordances that expand how we teach, communicate, learn and create knowledge. Web 2.0 services such as blogs, wikis and social bookmarking applications, as well as social networking sites like MySpace, Friendster and Facebook, are seen as more social and personal. These tools can indeed be used as a learning platforms and in this way learning will be much more interactive and students will understand much better than sitting in a class where the teaching is explaining at one go without stopping. However, these social networks are rather perceived as informal as people may post any kind of comments. The use of web 2.0 and social networks have both advantages and disadvantages depending on how it is being used.

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  90. Web 2.0 tools are making serious in-roads into Higher Education to help create a social and collaborative learning environment. Web 2.0 is simply a term that refers to the new era of internet use and it can take the form of Blogs, Wikis ,Podcasts, mashups .It is indeed a great way of teaching. Social networks like Facebook is advantageous as at the university itself many students are on this site where at any time they can consult each other to share notes, to discuss between themselves on queries they have, some students even exchanges books on this site. Learning can be merged with web 2.0 but somehow it should not as people tend to spend much of their time on social networks like facebook to post funny comments on their friend’s walls. Not everyone will use these networks for educational purposes. The use of web 2.0 and social networks for learning should be optional.

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  91. What Justine said is a very good point; facebook can be used as an additional way of learning. But only as an additional way of learning light matters which are too trivial to be discussed in class. However, while being online the students can easily be distracted by oncoming chats and other elements in the facebook environment.

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  92. Though i agree that web 2.0 tool or social networks could be used as a means of communicating educational information, i would not agree with the fact that it should the sole means of delivering information.
    First let me explain the reasons for my first agreement. Nowadays most students have on profile on at least one social network, with the most common one being facebook. Let’s consider facebook. It is not unusual that peers share a common group where they can share news, music, opinions etc. In my case, for example, i am in a group comprising of members of my class where we discuss on any assignments given or presentation to be done. However, the group does not only concern education as we sometimes share music, pictures and everyone participates in the activity of the group. But now just imagine how it would be if our lecturers were included... Any question about an assignment or any topic could be addressed to the lecturer in question no matter whether you are shy or not as everything is virtual. Creating a blog where educational information could be shared with people all around the world would be even better as first not everyone is on a facebook and secondly instead of being restricted to opinions of members of a class in a group created on facebook as said above, we can get the opinion of people anywhere on the globe.
    But as i said above, web 2.0 tool or social networks should not be the sole means of delivering information. Having a face to face interaction with the lecturer is irreplaceable. It is important to privilege human interaction in places such as in schools or universities and thus although it is essential to integrate new technological methods in education, one should not forget that machines or technology cannot replace humans.

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  93. With Web 2.0, information will travel from various sources and people will be able to share their thoughts more easily. Since almost everyone has a facebook, twitter or google+ account, it seems like a good idea to start using these as a means of communicating information to students. However, we should remember that these sites tend to be more distracting than engaging. We can only use these for educational purposes to a certain extent, as they’re still unfavorable to some students.

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  94. Social networks ( Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter ) have proved to be very useful media for learning. These are easliy accessed by the majority of us use the internet more often. People can post and view others' comments and opinions about many topics.
    For example, on facebook one can create a group and add persons concerned ( students in the same class, lecturers ) to make allow group discussions online.
    Also use of web 2.0 tools may help people learn about many fields without their aknowledgement when they read out of curiosity when they see many poeple commenting on a partucilar post.
    However those not possessing a computer, or even internet facilities are somehow deprived of these learning facilities.

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  95. Web 2.0, Social Networks, and learning…..

    A blog is a very interesting forum that contributes a lot to the person who post comments as well as the person who respond to it. The person will have different point of views from others which is of great use. A classroom whether physical or online brings a positive attitude, as students and lecturers can easily communicate and interact among them; this will increase their communication skills and will make the class more interesting. Whereas, Web 2.0 brings a small contribution to students on an educational point of view. As it is mention in the article, students can create a group an Facebook in order to post simple information ,for example, the date of a class test or tips provided by the lecturer for the exams. Web 2.0 is less about an educational type of learning and it is more about a place where you can find friends and interact with them.

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  96. I agree with your contention vashi
    .
    Facebook is more of a peer platform and teacher/learner normally do not have that relationship.
    However, it is a great platform to have a collabrative learning for doing cases, sharing knowledge and engaing in meaningful discussions with peers, either in the learner community, teacher community.
    Also, it is a great way to connect to the facebook users by promoting your work.

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  97. I do agree that web 2.0 applications that is social networks (facebook and twitter); and blogs, are means to facilitate learning. They are also very useful for communication between individuals for sharing of work; appropriate articles and news; and views and opinions. But as a student who frequently used these, I can say that they are not as important as online books and journals. But when using these websites, it is not easy to be fully concentrated in our work as other subjects display on the page may seem more interesting. Thus, these may be very useful as well as disadvantageous depending on their true purpose that is for example whether they prone communication for learning or to create relationships.

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  98. Most youngsters have a facebook account where they communicate with other people. Social network like twitter and facebook, blogs and wikis could be associated with e-learning. Learning will be interactive as all participants will share their views on a certain topic. However blogs and wikis will be more appropriate as they are professional networks. A blog can be either public or private or even both, thus we’ll be able to get opinions from both internal and external people. Furthermore, Blog reduces cost like cost of papers; it encourages participation and makes learning independent of time and place. Wikis are very collaborative where participants can add, edit and write contents written by each other. Therefore I believe that E-learning should be promoted using blogs and wikis.

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  99. Nowadays, learning is innovating by the use of internet to publish learning materials online. Everyone should be educated to use computers to get access to a blog and download learning kits. Surely social networks are a great way to learn in group and share knowledge but we should consider those who are not keen to create an account in those website as they can perceive it to be time lost. Learning in a classroom remains best method to get educated all the mass of students. The biggest advantage of web 2.0 is that we can get access to past exam papers rapidly and efficiently rather than losing time to search in library the contents of materials. Therefore learning by web can be ameliorated by facilitating easy access to those online resources by use of videos and audio tapes.

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  100. According to Elodie Wu, educators uses Web 2.0 are more likely to teach much to students and they use these tools are simply in a way making learning fun. But Web 2.0 brings more harm than benefits in an educational point of views. For example, Facebook can be harmful in such a way, because games are provided and once you appear online friend tend to interact with you. This can disturb you from doing your work in a proper way.

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  101. Like Justine said, using facebook to learn is not so bad but it has been seen that most of us who use facebook is to chat, play games, and view photos and to make friends. How far can we consider using facebook to be reliable and efficient in learning? We are our own guide when using this online tool and we can have different interpretation of the reading material. Some can divert a discussion to an inappropriate phrase and this can create confusion and no one has control over it. If there is no electricity, no work can be done and this is a handicap. Use of internet to learn online has to be a second option and not a priority. Learning on net is rather effective and we should make good use of it.

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  102. Web 2.0 tools certainly gives a new dimension to the current education system.Nowadays who does not have an account on Facebook,Twitter and others?who does not consult Blogs such as Wikis for their research work or projects?It goes without saying students prefer to use web 2.0 tools such as Blogs to help them understand certain concepts about their subjects instead of visiting a library to look for reference which can be hectic and time consuming.Web 2.0 tools can be beneficial to students in many ways if they used it the right way.Let's say i have a Facebook account,and i'm a member of a group which is related to my class,i'll subscribe with a view to stay updated about all information which concern me and my class in general.The greatest advantage about web 2.0 tools is that interaction is maximized with the use of blogs,e-learning platform and social networking websites as students are able to reflect and analyse information through different angles.The use of web 2.0 tools can be a blessing in disguise as this will only encourage students to go deeper about a particular subject by sharing their work with their friends and do collaborative work to better their own understanding.However the use of social networks as a learning platform is questionable as those websites were built with a view to provide a means of entertainment and a place where people can socialize by sharing their hobbies,personal data and others.Information shared through social networks can be misleading and inaccurate at times and it also refrains students from adopting a critical approach to a subject matter.To conclude web 2.0 tools,which includes Blogs,Facebook and others can only benefit students if they work collaboratively with teachers.

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  103. This article pertains mainly to the use of social networks as learning platforms. I agree to the fact that these tools can indeed be used as learning platforms. Learning does not necessarily mean acquiring academic knowledge but to gain knowledge or skill. Blogs can very well be used for this. A user can post comments, videos etc., pertaining to a particular subject matter, and people having access to these can comment, and eventually learn these. Moreover, comments turn into discussion threads, where everyone shares their ideas and thoughts, thus the learning process takes place. One disadvantage of social networks is that they do not provide face-to-face communication.

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  104. In today’s world nearly every youngster is connected to a social network, the most common being facebook. This growing mean of communication can be extended to share lecture notes and in the long run, replace the traditional four wall classroom. Students can post comments on topics posted by group admins, namely tutors. Web 2.0 can be used to deliver online lectures hence giving the students the opportunity to learn from home and eliminating the need to travel to university to get access to notes. But it is also a fact that social networks are more widely used for leisure rather than for educational purposes. Hence using a tool like Facebook as an educational system may seem weird at first. But I think that blogs or forums are more suitable than social networks and questions can be asked as new thread and replies can be posted by different ‘followers’.

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  105. @siya: Like you said not all web 2.0 applications will help in propagating education since off topic posts or spam may affect this mode of learning. But saying that it becomes easier to manage a class of more than 50 students online is not necessarily true. The greater the number of people in the group, the more the number of posts and hence the more difficult it becomes to monitor each individual’s response. Furthermore, I completely agree with you that students will be more exposed to computers and hence in the long run can have health problems.

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  106. In todays era existing social networking (Facebook,Tweeter) can't be used for education as people has already developed the
    critical thought that this is for fun purposes.According to me this would be completely disastrous as there would be a lack of
    concentration from students and also encouraging student to lose time on such networks.However, web 2.0 tools could be use
    to build up special network solely for education purposes-eg forum.

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  107. According to me, Social Networks can be used as a learning process. However, it should be in a less formal way as well as limited. This is so because, social networks are considered to be a pass time for most of the students. If a student has a profile on for example Facebook, he would be more interested in communicating with his friends talking about other things apart from education.

    However, some people sharing same views, interests can form groups and work together. Social networks can attract many youngsters to learn.

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  108. Based on my experience, I can tell that Web 2.0 has helped me a lot. And I’m sure that many of you will agree. Taking the University as an example, most of the things that we are being taught are new to us. No need to mention that we are being spoon-fed, meaning that we have to all our research. We all start like this, read the notes that our lecturers have sent us; a little ‘googling’ of we have not understood and sometimes many of us will seek help from forums. We can get help from experts/foreign students and so on. This in my opinion, is a form of using Web 2.0 for education purposes. Now let’s come to the most popular social networking site ‘Facebook’, how far is it helping in education?, none in my opinion? Using FB for education purposes, I’ve never done so. But not until my mates created a group for our course. Where the whole class can communicate and sharing stuffs and so on. Above all, info about classes (cancellation and so on) can be easily found there. Believe me it’s helping a lot. But sometimes, these groups can turn into a chit chat group. Web 2.0 has brought education on a whole another level in my opinion.

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  109. According to me, Social Networks can be used as a learning process . However, it should be in a less formal way as well as limited. this is so because, social networks are considered to be a pass time. If a student has a profile on, for example Facebook, he would be more interested in communicating with his friends and talk about things other than education.

    However, some people sharing same views, interests can form groups and work together, Social networks can attract many youngsters to learn.

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  110. Based on my experience, I can tell that Web 2.0 has helped me a lot. And I’m sure that many of you will agree. Taking the University as an example, most of the things that we are being taught are new to us. No need to mention that we are being spoon-fed, meaning that we have to all our research. We all start like this, read the notes that our lecturers have sent us; a little ‘googling’ of we have not understood and sometimes many of us will seek help from forums. We can get help from experts/foreign students and so on. This in my opinion, is a form of using Web 2.0 for education purposes. Now let’s come to the most popular social networking site ‘Facebook’, how far is it helping in education?, none in my opinion? Using FB for education purposes, I’ve never done so. But not until my mates created a group for our course. Where the whole class can communicate and sharing stuffs and so on. Above all, info about classes (cancellation and so on) can be easily found there. Believe me it’s helping a lot. But sometimes, these groups can turn into a chit chat group. Web 2.0 has brought education on a whole another level in my opinion.

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  111. According to me, Web 2.0 is a very good method to share information massively without any cost. There are thousands of blogs and websites in which there is information related to a specific topic. These websites and blogs can contribute a lot in the process of learning since they emphases on a specific topic which a person can learn about and know everything about it. For example, a person wishing to start bodybuilding can easily go to Bodybbuilding.com and learn everything about the subject.
    Furthermore, I believe, in our modern age, youngsters prefer to learn via the internet rather than the traditional method of learning. In a sense, it is much more fun and easy, therefore the person feels more motivated to learn. Today, there are degree courses that students can follow online.
    Moreover, information can be made easy to reach a person nowadays since almost everyone has a facebook account in our time
    Therefore, I believe that Web 2.0, from my personal perspective, can be a blessing if used intelligently despite the fact that there exist much useless information there to waste the time of people.

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  112. Heer,i do agree with your opinion.The use of web2.0 tools such as blogs,wikis or social networks are really useful, it do help people to communicate faster by posting messages or comments as this may be a way to share their knowledge. However, some people do not make proper use of these facilities by sending wrong messages or comments.

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  113. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  114. It is indeed true that through social networks,learning is possible.When people are on the internet they feel "connected" to people and the world's knowledge. In the classroom,they feel "disconnected" and "isolated". Using web 2.0 as a learning tool, various ideas and opinions are shared among members which are effective.
    However,the fact remains that the avenues of learning have always been through face-to-face interaction. The closer the interaction, the more effective is the learning. Besides, some prefer to have the teacher in front of them for better understanding and clarifications.

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  115. According to me Web 2.0 shows students that education is a constantly evolving entity. Whether it is participating in a class discussion, or participating in a forum discussion, the technologies available to students in a Web 2.0 classroom does increase the amount they participate.

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  116. The use of Web 2.0 for the purpose of learning can be seen from 2 views.
    Using blogs for the purpose of giving students knowledge, discussing on particular problems in other words participating in forum can be quite useful for learning process and have many advantages also. Learning via blogs likely makes timid students express themselves better which may be they would not have been able in a classroom of 60 students.
    But if the student does not have the determination to learn and go through those forums then it won’t be advantageous for that individual. Even if social networks are being given importance for educational process, some people, even I still prefer the old traditional way of learning. And personally I don’t much agree of using Facebook as a website for learning, since more people tend to spend leisure time on it rather than for learning.
    And I would like to correct Miss Sonia Gokool that not all people like and have an account on Facebook. It’s better to do homework/writing notes than wasting time on Facebook, because I think there are a lot of distractions on Facebook which can affect learning.

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  117. Applications like Wikipedia are very useful in education. Social networks like facebook can help a lot in education by group discussion online and sharing information with each other. However it is futile if it is used for chatting about unnecessarily things and playing games only. Online learning through social network is effective if only it is being used for the right purpose.

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  118. I agree with Anoo and VirusAsh. Its true that most of us view this social networks as fun and we use it to communicate with friends and relative and we would also not be able to concentrate on a concrete discussion work with friends, especially since we do all sorts of things like watching videos on youtube.It might be very difficult, but if a special social networking site is created (like the ILT 2000) we won't have much problem in adapting with it.It will be in our minds that this particular site is strictly reserved for the sharing of meaningful information and discussion.

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  119. I don’t agree so much with anoo about social network is considered as a pass time, I believe that it depends on the student’s intention. If the latter is not concern very much with education then of course he will not use the network as a means of sharing information and for group discussion, in fact he will be more interested in other things like chatting apart from education. But I must say that not every student use the social network as a means for pass time because I think there are many students who really use social network for education purpose.

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  120. Web 2.0, Social Networks, and learning…..

    A blog is a very interesting forum that contributes a lot to the person who post comments as well as the person who respond to it. The person will have different point of views from others which is of great use. A classroom whether physical or online brings a positive attitude, as students and lecturers can easily communicate and interact among them; this will increase their communication skills and will make the class more interesting. Whereas, Web 2.0 brings a small contribution to students on an educational point of view. As it is mention in the article, students can create a group an Facebook in order to post simple information ,for example, the date of a class test or tips provided by the lecturer for the exams. Web 2.0 is less about an educational type of learning and it is more about a place where you can find friends and interact with them.

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  121. Nowadays educational technologies have greatly changed the mode of teaching and learning. This has caused a shift from traditional learning to a more computer base one. Wed 2.0 tool is one such example which includes blogs, wikis, and social networks.
    Blogs provides an online platform whereby students can post their queries or questions on specific topics and these are answered by other students or people. Thus it can be regards as a form of virtual class. Facebook for instance which are gaining more popularities each day is regard as a social networks. Facebook greatly help student since group can be created where it provide a means of communication among a group of students. For example we have created a group for our class (bio yr 2) where we exchange views, opinion and information concerning different topic and also post important information concerning our course like the date of our class test or tips from our lectures. Also the social network approach and blogs enables us to share our views and interact with other students in different countries hence they expand over wider geographical areas. Wikis like Wikipedia greatly help students to hunt for notes and knowledge more quickly and easily in our field of studies hence promote learning. The ILT2000: Educational Technologies (2011/12) module is a very good example where all the features of web 2.0 are being applied.
    However the major drawbacks of such system apply to those students who do not have access to internet facilities as these technologies a fully depend on internet. Furthermore we tend to diverge our attention to issues not related to our core learning process and also are more prone to repetitive strain injuries.

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  122. I agree with Heer that social networks are very useful and efficient for learning. Learning is independent of time and place when using blogs. Everyone will participate as it encourages learners to be active throughout the course period. It helps to improve the learners’ writing competencies. The latter get better at reflecting and sharing their opinions. Wikipedia is also a useful media for learning. But still there are some negative aspects of social networks. Some people do not like to share their knowledge and sometimes wrong information can be transmitted through comments. Furthermore there is lack of privacy in such web tools. And we should be very careful as these sites may contain viruses.

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  123. We are now living in a society that is dominated by technology. So everyone have to adapt to the changes that these technology can bring about. So when talking about using web 2.0 for education purpose, it’s not such a bad idea as most of the people use social networks such as Facebook, twitter, hi5 and so on. So lecturers in a university can make use of these means to contact their students. Also using the social networks, students that did not understand a particular topic in class can contact their friends and then discuss it until they understand. Also there is forums where a topic can be posted for discussion. This is an effective way for students to express their opinions and views. Even the lecturers can join the discussion to help the students. So this can bring about effective communication between lecturers and students as feedback will be obtain from almost every students on the topic that are being discussed!
    However, there may be some weak spots in those learning styles. For example, it would mean that the student will be spending some time on the computer. So as we all know computer has its side effects on the user! For one it can affect the user’s vision. The can also suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome for excessive use of the computer.
    So I guess it can’t be helped as most of the student nowadays uses the computer to do their homework, to learn, to communicate with friends etc.

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  124. This article is mainly about using social networks as a learning platform.Indeed web 2.0 like blogs and application like Wikis can prove to be very useful as one can obtain important information through it. Moreover facebook which is a web 2.0 tool can be seen as an educational platform.For instance our class created a private group where any queries, misunderstanding about a topic can be clarified for e.g a simple post which increases in comments leading to an online discussion.From this point of view we can see that learning and understanding can be achieved in a more relaxing way.Yet the question remains how many people use facebook for educational purposes since it is practically created for entertainment.As said in the article minor information can be passed but not the whole educational syllabus.Thus, it can be used for sharing ideas ar additional views but I believe that the complete course cannot be done througn social networks.

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  125. It is a fact that nowadays, social networking sites helps students to learn in a more efficient way. Facebook and twitter is the most common site being used to share information concerning education. They can be used as a feedback where students can asks questions and get answers quickly or even we can share our multiple points of views. For example, I have subscribed myself in a group which is a platform created by us to share information concerning our course. This is a useful way of producing helpful information to us from the seniors. Furthermore, this is a great way to get in touch with other students where they can do their group revision online. It is can be a sort of communication since we are informed by lecturers for any events taking place, news or messages. Obviously, the lecturers are also members in these sites. In this case, social networking allows students to stay in contact with their lecturers where they can interact with each other if ever the students are having difficulties. When viewing in this way, social networking is helping in learning even though not to such an extent but it does give light to certain possibilities.

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  126. It is true that effective learning takes place with the use of web 2.0 tools like blogs,social networking and wikis. Educational social networks are becoming popular within the educational system. Learning does not only mean to acquire knowledge but it is also to gain skills. Interacting to these sites, students can become more globally knowledgeable and more self-aware. These tools have enhanced students communication, collaboration and problem-solving as they have encouraged one to participate by posting comments and help students to express individual views, opinions and information concerning a topic. Thus, the use of web 2.0 tools contribute in learning and are beneficial to students.

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  127. With the internet we are living in a global village. Nowadays with the help of social networking platforms like the famous facebook,twiter,Hi5, etc people can chat with each other without any geographical barrier.These social networks has allowed communication to be establish more easily and also allows sharing of views.Student often create groups in these to share their opinion, to discuss their problems and even to seek help with their friends on particular topics. These social networking platforms are also to have some also.
    Web 2.0 is really a great tool for us students for our research works and all

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  128. It is true that effective learning takes place with the use of 2.0 web tools like blogs, social networking and wikis. Educational social networks are becoming popular within the educational system. Learning does not only mean to acquire academic knowledge but it is also to gain skills. Interacting to these sites, student can become more globally knowledgeable and more self-aware. These tools have enhanced students communication, collaboration and problem-solving as they have encouraged one to participate by posting comments and help students to express individual views, opinions and information concerning a topic. Thus, the use of web 2.0 tools contribute in learning and are beneficial to students.

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  129. According to me, in this new era of globalization the use of web 2.0 tools are a good way of learning especially for youngsters.As it creates much more interest.However the use of these tools for learning can cause students to alienate from their real goal that is learning.They tend to concentrate more on social networking rather than learning.

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  130. To jeveena Appiah
    The web 2.0 has indeed broaden our way of learning ,teaching and the way we communicate. According to me, these social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace is not a good place for teaching to take place as it is perceived as rather an informal network where people communicate informally to their friends and it is very rare that teaching takes place through these networks.

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  131. I agree with u Mevconhye.The social networks allows shy people express without facing people themselves.These social networks are indeed an effective way of learning without getting bored.We learn and have some fun at the time

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  132. @sharmeen
    I totally agree with you. In fact, you have well elaborated your points in terms of pros and cons in the use of Web 2.0 applications. Indeed, there are more other benefits as well as limitations you can suggest like student can directly interact with lecturers, group revisions online. For limitations, you can talk about students not having access to internet.

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  133. Webtools such as social networks have revolutionalized learning, that is, the way learning transcends beyond the conventional concept of a physical classroom to a virtual space, where effective sharing of knowledge can still take place. Being in a virtual space allows sharing of information and dissemination of news to be quick. For instance, lecturers can communicate important details like class teststhrough a common group mail or by posting on a group on facebook.

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  134. According to my point of view, social networks being created for the sole purpose of learning or simply to interact with people, such as facebook, are both directly or indirectly related to education. This is simply because the software designated for social networks directly provide knowledge to the online viewers while the social networks, such as facebook, even through they were created mainly for worldwide interactions do play a role in education. Via facebook, my university mates and I, do debate a lot about stuffs we do not understand, post things going on in the university as well as communicate important information. Thus, facebook indirectly help us to learn.

    Online forums and blogs, are they really similar in terms of the software and its technological design? Online forums really do have strong interactions and responses but do blogs get as much responses as online forums? I think that in blogs, people post their point of view without any interaction. For example, out of the 125 comments here, how many responded to the previous comments? Or how many will comment to what I have written? If I had post the same comment in online forums, the responses would be much faster and greater in number. Web 2.0 is indeed a software which is more popularly used online because it provide users the facility to post in articles, news, views and share their opinions.

    Do the online webs where we can buy stuff online, ebay for example, or webs where we can put ‘annonces’ to sell cars, land and so on make use of web 2.0 software?

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  135. Web 2.0 as a learning tool is very much effective for learning new things and clearing doubts in a particular course. There are indeed many things that students cannot comprehend at one go, and so one need a second chance to understand in case the student is hesitating for a face to face discussion. Then, there come Facebook, blogs, and Web 2.0 which help students a lot for discussing among friends or even lecturers. Web 2.0 groups a majority of students, thus more critical thinking are grouped. Therefore more learning outcomes like students benefitting a lot through discussion in a group for a particular course on Facebook. If appropriate discussions are done, then there is a higher possibility that one understand things better. It broadens our mind actually. But this depends on the student how to make good use of such webs or blogs so as to grasp and impart useful informations. Thus, Web 2.0 could be a useful tool for some students.

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  136. Following Numrata's comment, I belive that it is no more the case as nowadays social networks like mns and skype do exist. Furthermore, Interactive Video lectures can take place, implying that direct communication is possible in the newly improved educational system. However, we cannot deny the fact that face-to-face (body language) communication is likely to be more effective.

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  137. to chandinee
    i do not totally agree to your point of view, it was scientifically proved that the long term memory of human being is much better when visual aids are used. Thus, from globalization of the use of web 2.0, the learners are much into learning rather than listening boringly 3 hours of lectures, a power point presentation do render the class less boring but after one and a half hours most of the students concentration are switch off. It is true that youngsters are tempted to part away from their goal, but most of the youngster are being able mo balance their social time with their education. we are not robots to learn 24hrs of 24 hours

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  138. According to me, Web 2.0 has really changed the online learning process. Nowadays, nearly everyone has got internet facilities at their disposal together with a Facebook account. Being myself a student, it happened several time to me that my friends communicate with me via social networks,for e.g Facebook. They can ask for clarification on some educational topics where they cannot be physically present.Activities related to University stuffs such as debates, quizs or polls can be conducted online on the said network. This has the advantage of being more fun than if it was conducted on paper of classroom.

    This proves that social networks are not only used for entertainment as some may say, but can have educational purposes also if used correctly.

    Forums on the other hand also contribute greatly to online learning since searching for a topic on any search engine will guide you to a forum where someone has raised more likely the same topic with all the discussion included. thus we can say that these tools do contribute to the learning process.

    Thus we can conclude that tools developed originally for Web 2.0 are now being used for enhancing the global learning experience of any students. These activities may then become a big Plus in the Curriculum Vitae or Portfolio of the student; they gain more employable skills.

    So yes, these tools are important.

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  139. Web 2.0 technologies provide teachers with new ways to engage students in a new way of learning.
    By making the shift to a Web 2.0 classroom, teachers are creating a more open atmosphere where students are expected to stay engaged and participate in the discussions and learning that is taking place around them.
    In fact, students embrace these new learning environments and approach a stand where they take control of their own learning, make connections with peers, and produce new insights and ideas, which is a healthy way of learning.
    Education must be not only socially, but collaboratively constructed, which is done through social networking sites such as blogs.

    However, we should not forget that The Web 2.0 offers all users the same freedom to contribute and thus may provide wrong information. A good example is the wiki.
    Moreover, the fact that students are enjoying the social network makes education in the classroom boring for them, which is still the common way of teaching in Mauritius!

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  140. Social networking sites’ basic aim is to provide communication between people, so using it as a platform for learning is not so useful. However since they help to communicate, sharing resources such as link to videos and notes to be used as tutorials can be done with students. Moreover students can also help each other more openly on social networking sites since it becomes more private as we can choose with whom we want to help and share our resources with. The use of Web 2.0 is definitely a must for educational purposes in the 21st century. We should not limit ourselves to just social networking sites or blogs, resources should also be shared among peers through the use of video hosting sites like YouTube or even shares notes by using Google Docs or other file hosting sites.

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  141. Mostly everyone is on Facebook nowadays; some prefer not to join in order to preserve their privacy and not getting involved with it for fear of losing their time. Since it mainly acts as a source of communication, it can be used in education. In order to pass information to each other, students of my class created a group for our classroom. Although I was totally unwilling to join facebook at the start, I had finally given up in order not to miss important information which was being communicated. By allowing students to use the technology tools of Web 2.0, teachers are actually giving students the opportunity to learn by themselves and share that learning with their peers. A Web 2.0 classroom can help teachers to create a more open atmosphere where students are expected to stay engaged and participate in the discussions and learning that is taking place around them. It is beneficial as it is easy to access and our opinions can be expressed freely. However, facebook is mostly used for leisure time, to communicate with friends, play games also. It also leads to narcissism, gossip, wasted time, hurt feelings, ruined reputations, and sometimes, even dangerous activities. According to me, attending lectures is far better than using Web 2.0 to learn, as in a classroom, students are more focused; they know exactly what they are doing together with the help of their teacher and are in direct contact with them.

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  142. There are strong relationship between web 2.0 and social network learning, which see active and authentic learning taking place best where knowledge can be constructed actively by students who are supported in social network settings. It follows that web 2.0 tools may offer students a more participatory experience of learning in which individuals have increased opportunities to interact with more students and with more learning resources.

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  143. Social networking sites have a big role in online education system. Nowadays I wonder who is not familiar with facebook, skype, MSN and so on, everyone has an account on those sites and they are used mainly to communicate with friends, relatives and even lecturers. So in my opinion, these social networking sites will surely promote learning and discussions among students. Moreover, the student does not need to be physically present in the same country as his friends in order to have a discussion as with the help of video conferencing, these tasks can easily be done. However, using Facebook or MSN as an educational tool may have negative effects as students will get distracted by things not related to education such as personal photos or videos. According to me, in such cases, blogs should be use to ensure that students are actually paying attention to the work.

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  144. Web 2.0 can be used as a great tool in education, where notes can be shared and topics can be discussed. But in social network such as facebook, we have online games, chat, which eventually distract the student, shifting his mind on those things instead of focusing on his lecture notes.
    As from my personal experience, I can say that Web 2.0 has helped me in many ways, but many times I do waste lot of my precious time there.
    An example to social networking in education, is in my class we have created a private group, where notes, video, pictures of lecture can be shared and we can also discuss on topics we did not understand clearly. But there are several time where post made by people are out of the course subject e.g. they talk about football.
    Social networking can be very helpful in education if we use it properly.

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  145. The web 2.0 tools include social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter), blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services and web applications. These tools provide a means for communication and discussion on a particular topic among a group of users. Even on Facebook or Twitter which is mainly used for fun where the users are more likely to gossip and chat about personal matters can be a platform for educational matters. For instance, educational discussions even occur on Facebook and people learn without realizing. Education does not only refer to the academic aspect but also in acquiring new knowledge. Blogs and wikis are seen as integral tools in learning process where one can post his views and others will comment. Each comment of a blog can be seen as a reply to the forum post and these become discussion threads. Eventually this enhances our educational level. Moreover, people all over the world have access to a blog and as more and more people comment on a blog, the discussion becomes more productive. However, we should not forget that web2.0 tools do not favor face to face communication and spending too much time in front of a computer or a laptop can lead to headache, back pain and eye strain.

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  146. Without any doubt, by making use of Web 2.0, this has given a remarkable facet to the actual education system. Social networking, such as Facebook, Twitter and several others, have become of great help for almost everyone in this wold especially for students. Personally, facebook helps me a lot in increasing my knowledge. Taking the best example, almost every day, I sign into my facebook account, just to see whether any new information about my class has been posted and check if there are any upcoming events. Certainly, this is the best way to learn and share our personal opinions instead of going to the library for references which proves quite hectic and it also takes a lot of time. Several times when I am stuck with my mathematics questions, I often sign in facebook and my friends usually send me useful links so that I can do the homework, else, I would have to wait for the next day to go to the library. By doing so, I would also say that this helps us immensely for socialization. Everyone can be connected easily nowadays and share their personal opinion about articles, news and views thus helping in developing critical thinking. However, even though communication can be passed through the comments and discussions, it can never replace the face to face communication. But fortunately, by making use of Web 2.0, the problem lack face to face communication has eliminated as video chatting is now possible. As a conclusive note, I can say that if the students make use of these new technologies, this can prove to be quite advantageous for them only if they work mutually with instructors.

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  147. COMMENT ON RAMCHURN SHRIKANT POST ON THE 23 OCTOBER 2011 @ 11.08
    Dear Shrikant, I fully agree that these social networking can also be used to post videos, comments and many others but the fact that it does not allow face to face communication is quite inappropriate as nowadays we have video chats that are available on Skype and too recently it has been introduced on facebook. Any problem concerning a specific matter can be communicated to the lecturers by making use of these. The answer that the lecturer would give you face to face will still be the same through the screen. Therefore the face to face communication is no longer a problem according to me.

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  148. karine victorien25 October 2011 at 00:49

    To Nicolas 08
    I do agree with the fact that these social networks enable us to communicate with our friends and to pass on information. Using Web 2.0 will enable us to learn by ourselves and also to share our knowledge with our friends. However, most youngsters use facebook for leisure and time is wasted on it instead of concentrating in their work. I do not agree with the fact that these social networks particularly facebook, will be used to teach students. To study appropriately, someone needs to be focused and this cannot be done if the person has the possibility to talk to their friends.

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  149. Social networking is a web 2.0 revolution.It enables people to take an interactive part in a particular Web site. This means that they can add all kinds of content to it: video, audio, chat rooms, blogging and instant messages. Like Akshav ramkalawon said thanks to this revolution, now geographical barrier no longer a problem. We are able to share, communicate, discuss, debate any topics we want and any person can join and give his opinions. It provides us directly or indirectly an interactive learning platform. And for those who are not able to give their views in front of a live audience, they can in fact put forward their opinion under anonymity. These blogs, myspace, facebook, youtube all show are popular because they are a gathering of young people. Youngsters are getting bored of the traditional teaching. Looking at the popularity of the web 2.0 among youngsters, it could be an effective way of teaching.

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  150. Social networks indeed promote group learning. It is also useful when one needs to discuss group projects, assignments and provides a platform where these discussions can take place. The group need not schedule a meeting place to serve that purpose on which it is very difficult sometimes to reach an agreement since everyone has got different schedules and it also involves ethical issues.

    Furthermore by reading the comments posted by others,we can broaden our horizon. Of course, students will feel more at ease to communicate in what they consider to be a more informal atmosphere. Social networks also provide a platform for distance learning where geographical barriers are involved.

    However, it is true that this type of learning does not suit all categories of students especially those who learn better through face to face discussions.

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  151. Undoubtedly, the Web is an ever-growing source of articles, news, views and opinions however, I find it very unrealistic to say that people are bound to certain articles according to their respective geographical region. Wikis, for example, are available globally. Also, even though facebook is not designed for a virtual learning environment, some correct information like tips for an upcoming examination can form a topic of discussion on a person’s wall with his friends commenting. But, usually people log onto facebook as it is an entertainment in itself, such that it does not make sense for a person to work during his selected spare time.

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  152. The use of web 2.0 in the educational sector can be sought differently from diverse persons. As it has been said in the article, some educators find it difficult to see how these networks which are design for social network can be implemented in an educational context and learning activities. This can be viewed from two sides. Firstly, the educators can be right because the students can have the tendency to neglect their work because they are not supervised directly by a teacher. Secondly, the main objective of the network can be put aside and students can use the network as a mean to chat with their friends. However, as it has been said in the article, these networks such as blogs can be seen as an online forum where interesting discussions can be developed. The blogs can be used as a platform to discuss some specific topics where the students can promote critical thinking. If a student has some difficulty to understand a specific concept, discussions can help the students to find an answer to the problem. Yet, it all depends on the subject being taught. For example, a mathematics class where there should be several calculations would be quite inappropriate on a social network.
    We can also see in the article that some people believed that meaningful learning will occur with the use of web 2.0. Does this mean that the traditional way of teaching is meaningless? Nowadays, students are learning and having lectures by their lecturers which have had a traditional education and now working as lecturers. So?? Was their education meaningless without the use of web 2.0?? I think that it is good to have new technologies and new ways of teaching however, we cannot completely forget the past and debase what has been done before and surely we cannot say that is was meaningless!!!
    Another point which was rose in the article is the use of facebook in the educational sector. It is said that when we extend the network of a classroom to a particular level to connect with peers of similar characteristics, it can contribute to educational process. However, we should take into consideration that it is a social network where many young adults will communicate. I think that it would be quite difficult to stick to the main objectives of the course on facebook. Without a strict guidance, students will tend to derive to other subjects and will not take the course seriously. Will they really learn on facebook or will it be a means to chat with friends? Will the learning process to efficient as in a classroom with the guidance of a teacher? I think that facebook is a social network where someone can chat with friends, play games and maintain social relationships. It is true that in some way it can be useful and information can be given on date of class test or about lectures. But it this sufficient to say that facebook shape learning? If peers chat on facebook would they only talk of the previous lectures and class test? Does this refer to meaningful learning?

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  153. I believe that the use of web 2.0 will be of a great aid to support learning via a user-friendly environment. However, the statement, ‘meaningful learning to occur’ suggests that for learning to take place WEB 2.0 is essential. It will be unimaginable to use Facebook or Twitter as a learning medium (teaching core modules). But, these social networks can eventually be very beneficial, for sharing views and easily forged their opinions. We belong to a society where technology has its imprint and I think that the previous generation and especially the new one, in order to adapt, they will have to follow the trend. WEB 2.0 seems to be in one side a user-friendly interface useful for sharing comments but at the other side inefficient for intricate subjects.

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  154. @Ornella
    I totally agree with you!
    It is indeed true that simple tasks such as sharing of ideas and opinions can be done via social networks. However, a whole module, for instance, a core module), cannot be taught via a virtual interface, especially with sensible modules…

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  155. According to me, Social Networking systems which make use of Web2.0 technologies have gained much more attention since a large number of students have made use of public systems such as Facebook and Twuitter. I believe that Web2.0 tools help individuals or groups to create or find and share knowledge. It enables form of communication controlled by the user makes them very different to it use and incresasingly corporate virtual learning environments. Social networking allow users to decide what they wish to discuss. This means that Social Networking truly have the capability to deliver a platform for learning where the student is potentially at the centre of activities.

    However, i do agree with Ornella, we have created a group conversation where we can post our queries and soon it is solved. It helps us in a more flexible way but nowadays we cant rely upon Facebook as people use it mainly to get to know people and acts as a means of entertainment.It depends for what purpose we using it. Do we really use Facebook for educational purposes? So i believe that Social Network can help students in a way to facilitate their tasks but it does have its disadvantages too.

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  156. I believe that the conventional classroom is a typical classroom that limits interaction whereas on a social platform, it is better for the students to express themselves without having to overcome shyness that one faces in the class. It is a very efficient type of active studying. It does not usually imply the growth of the social network. It can be restricted to members of a class only. However, the efficiency of the learning is questionable. Social networks are mostly platforms for informal learning that can have social effects later on.

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  157. Deepsheekha Ramharai25 October 2011 at 16:56

    According to me, the web 2.0 is a very useful tool as people can view articles, news and can even post a comment about their views. Social networks can contain information such as date of a class test, exam or hints provided by a lecturer for the exams. Nowadays most students have an account on Facebook, where they can have a group discussion about a topic that has been covered in class.
    However, the web 2.0 has been of great help to many people especially to students.

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  158. Learning via blogs and social networks are both a blessing and a curse...indeed it is very helpful and easy as we can discuss important lessons, share our views, video chat (e.g. Skype) and interact with friends or lecturers. Therefore using web 2.0, it makes the learning platform more interactive and as a result, the students will understand better and results can be even better. But on the other hand, there is a lack of communication between students and lecturers as there is no face to face conversation and so, several questions cannot be clarified.

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  159. The World Wide Web is being replaced by Web 2.0 which emphasizes the ability for people to share online information. In fact, Web 2.0 refers to the transition from static HTML Web pages to a more dynamic Web that is more organized and is based on serving Web applications to users. Over time Web 2.0 has been used more as a marketing term than a computer-science-based term. Web 2.0 includes Blogs, wikis, and Web services.
    A blog is a system that allows someone to write and publicly display articles (called posts). And then readers can add comment to posts. Blogs can be very useful in learning. For example, a group of students can use their individual blogs to build up a conversation of interrelated knowledge via posts and comments. Moreover, teachers can use a blog for course announcements, news and feedback to students. Another component of Web 2.0 is wikis. Wiki allows one or more people to build up a conversation of knowledge in a set of interlinked web pages, using a process of creating and editing pages. The most famous wiki is Wikipedia. In learning, wikis can be used for the creation of annotated reading lists by teachers. Finally, Social services enable users to bookmark (record) web pages. For learning uses, social service can allow teachers and learners to collect resources and with a little ingenuity to record resources that are not on the web.

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  160. Under this article there was certain points related was discussed which was that the web 2.0 are the modern tools to be used at all cost for educational system and processes for learning to occur where i completely agree on this point. there was another point which relate eduactional technology was that the social network can be used to extend the network of one classroom of a particular course at a particular level to connect with peers of similar characteristics across a geographical region can contribute to some extent in the educational process.In addition the last point that was discussed underthis point was the use of a particular web 2.0 tool to promote say critical thinking fora particular learning activity

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  161. Comment @ Pooja Surajbali on 24 October 2011 18 :39
    I do not agree with what you have said about “facebook is an entertainment and it does not make sense for a person to work during his selected spare time”.
    Just imagine that you realise a constructive job during your “spare time”. Fortunately,with facebook it is possible. Facebook can be used as an essential tool to work group assignment as to meet face-to-face is difficult because of limited time. Also, some students are timid to talk face-to-face and facebook can help them to express themselves without being afraid of anyone. We just have to use our time efficiently to accomplish both constructive things and leisure at the same time. I think that social networks can be of great help to students.

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  162. I can say that the web 2.0 can be a useful tool to be used in education but we have also to consider that a blog such as facebook cannot be used to promote education. This is so because on this blog too many types of informal discussion take place. Thus people will be more interested in these discussions. But some blogs can really offer a good education such as online forums where articles and news are posted to be read and analysed.

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  163. Reply to Vashi comment of 19 October 2011 @ 09:54
    I totally agree with you Vashi as social networking in a way simplifies our life. For example instead of going in a library looking for books and now just by a few clicks we are provided with immediate access to a range of resources and this is available anytime and anywhere there is an internet connections. Moreover, social networking websites are more like the virtual meeting places where people can just chill and hang out with friends. They can discuss on different topics, share information, and exchange files and pictures. With these tools students view education in a different way thus make learning more interesting.

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  164. In my opinion a traditional classroom is better for learning than using the web 2.0 tools. On one hand Facebook is mainly used to chat with friends, which has nothing to do with studying. On the other hand there are some students which use it to ask their friends questions when they are in trouble while doing homework. In this point of view we can say that it can help in learning processes that is a way of learning in group via a social network. But in most cases it is use for things not related to education. However, in a class it is met only for learning. From there you can grasp as much information as you can from the lecturer and ask the maximum of questions.

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  165. Dear Pajaani, I do agree to some extent with what you said that social network can help in learning but most of the time the discussion on Facebook are not related to studies, it mostly contain personal things about people and is used only for socializing. The most efficient way of teaching is in a classroom where it is more concern with educational matters.

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  166. Replying to what Anonyme said on 23 octobre 2011 01:52

    You are right concerning the health issue. Everyone is only concentrating on the use of technology while ignoring the fact that using the computers for long periods can cause serious health problems like: Lower back pain, neck pain, pain in wrists and fingers and strain in the eyes. Moreover, students are very careless about maintaining the right posture while using the computer so we should ensure that students are taught how to use the computers in a proper way so that they do no encounter any health problems afterwards.

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  167. Web 2.0 is a very good means of sharing information. People can make use of blogs and websites to obtain the information they need. Nowadays, many youngsters make use of facebook to share and communicate with their colleagues as facebook allows to post content i.e. they can post lecture notes on facebook and discussed it online where friends can answer to their queries immediately. Thus it encourages students to learn on social networking as they can get immediate response. Some of them even make use of the internet (blogs, educational websites) to gather more information about a topic.
    But learning through the internet may leads to both advantages and disadvantages. Students may learn less and surf on the internet more.

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  168. Even though social networks such as facebook or twitter are highly used by youngsters, I do not think that they would that much if they had been designed for learning. Students used these pages to interact with their friends. Facebook here looks more like the school yard than the classroom. Even though it does contain information and pages that can be used in learning processes- such as profils for each class where information can be posted about different modules or homeworks, but also pages on diverse topics that can help in learning- their basic use, and the reason why students sign up for an account is not to learn. It is to socialise with friends and in a way to narcissistically create a page which onlt about them.
    As said in the article, yes using "web 2.0 tool to promote say critical thinking for a particular learning activity can be useful" but to consider social networks as a space for educating students is irrealistic.

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  169. @ Noorinah: This is indeed true that we use Facebook for group discussions and queries. Using Facebook for making friends is a personal and subjective. But what can be the disadvantages of using Web2.0 tools for educational purposes(as you mentioned above)?

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  170. @ Toshanroa
    I totally agree with Toshanrao that social networking can be very helpful in education if we use it properly. In Today’s society, most students have the tendency to surf on other websites than focusing on his/her lecture notes and also got addicted to facebook’s online games and chatting. Another disadvantage is that students will tend to spend their whole spare time on these social network rather than spending it on their family or to do other works.

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  171. @ Sweta
    I think you are right in your view. but most younsters have the opportunity to participate in discussions say on facebook, because they signed in on facebook to do other things. If facebook's use was solely for educative purpose, most of them would not even sign in. we often see that people on facebook tend to "like" pages about actors, ice cream or any random things than pages that are educative...

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  172. According to me Web 2.0 software has emerged to facilitate new online activities, many of which could not have been previously achieved. Online social interaction has been enriched through the use of wikis, blogs and podcasts. Web 2.0 encourages a more human approach to interactivity on the Web, better supports group interaction and fosters a greater sense of community in a potentially ‘cold’ social environment.

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  173. To Elodie Wu

    I agree with what Elodie Wu said because educators are starting to explore the potential of blogs, media-sharing services and other social software - which, although not designed specifically for e-learning, can be used to empower students and create exciting new learning opportunities .Blogs, an example of web service facilitate critical feedback, by letting readers add comments - which could be from teachers, peers or a wider audience. Educators who are subject specialists are also using blogs to provide up-to-date information and commentary on their subject areas, as well as posting questions and assignments and linking to relevant news stories and websites.

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  174. @ Aude

    I totally agree with you aude since we know that techonogies have indeed change our way of learning for example the Web2.0 itself. it helps us to post our comments and get feedback right away but doing a core module or discussing it there will not proved to be an effective way because we do know the difference between posting comments and opinions. WE can share ideas to have a deeper knowlegde upon the subject but it can cannot wholly solve the difficulties that we encountering in the module.

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  175. Gone were those days when only pen and paper were used for learning and in education. Today we are living the era of social networking. “Facebook…Twitter…Baddoo…MSN.” and many such other social networking sites have revolutionized the exchange of information all over the globe and has given a new meaning to education. We sit at home and yet remain in contact with the rest of the world. The use social networking in education enables people to stay in touch, convey knowledge, sharing of views and opinions, news, notes and other information with their classmates. For example, I get regular updates of what is happening in my class (discussing assignment etc) or in the faculty via Facebook. Moreover, there is no geographical restriction or limit with such methods thus making people more at ease and free. However, I also believe that with such means and ways of learning, undoubtedly the meaning of human social company will gradually fade and disappear as we will be meeting friends and classmates though these means of communication. There will be a lack of inter-personal and interactive skills. Also what is accessible from the wide pool of resources on the worldwide web does not always provide the correct and right information. It may thus give inaccurate, inappropriate and unrealistic information. Hence, in my opinion, learning should be in both traditional way (teacher-student face to face interaction) and through social networking. This will enables us to derive all possible advantages from it.

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  176. The term Web 2.0 is associated with wed applications that facilitate participatory information sharing and collaboration on the world wide web.
    A web 2.0 allow contribution in populating the wed with article and opinion. A stricking example is facebook where people I sallow to post status and photos. It can provide a mean of communication among youngsters for example sharing information on a topic. Furthermore web 2.0 can be used as an Educational tool comprising the wikis applications.
    The Web 2.0 offers all users the same freedom to contribute. While this opens the possibility for rational debate and collaboration, it also opens the possibility for spamming and trolling by less rational users.

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  177. This article mainly stresses on the concept of learning through the aid of social networks on the Web.It shows how through social networks, education is transmitted to each and everyone having access to it.

    It has indeed to be agreed that ''a blog is no different to an online forum.'' On a blog, such as the Innovative Learning, Technologies and Pedagogies itself, we keep on learning several things which we had maybe never heard of before. When one person posts something and others keep on commenting to give their views, this becomes an educational platform in itself. Thus, other people reading the article are able to better understand the article.

    Having access to social networks such as Facebook or Twitter is just the fashion of nowadays. So, I personally believe that having access to a social network is not a problem neither a disadvantage. Being a student, I can say that being connected to Facebook is of great help to me. For example, when a lecture is cancelled, we are informed by our class reps on Facebook and we are in a better position to communicate with friends and even lecturers.

    However, one should also remember that while some view the concept of learning on the Web as a convenient way, others are still following the old tradition of learning in copybooks and books. They believe that surfing on the Web is just a wastage of time, So, all these issues show that some people still need some more time to involve social networks in their learning processes.

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  178. Wikis, social networking and information sharing sites are very popular among youngsters nowadays. To a certain extent, these Web 2.0 tools are used for their education otherwise the online social networking is mainly used for communication with their peers. A simple example is that almost all classes in all educational institution have their own group on networking sites. Only study-related materials and discussions are posted in these groups. The part of the article which mentions about dates of test and tips is very true. I would also like to add that group works can go on there and active discussions about a particular question or assignments also take place.

    Today's economy is fiercely competitive. Students should be equipped with a set of core knowledge coupled with essential thinking skills. How students use Web 2.0 tools has direct implications for teaching and learning thinking skills. While some teachers discourage the use of Wikipedia as a primary research source because of fears of unreliability and plagiarism, I think they should instead use the most popular wiki on the internet to promote critical thinking. For example, the teacher can discuss the structure of Wikipedia which includes peer editing. The students can also be asked to assess the credibility of an article on Wikipedia. This would mean that the students would have to carry out extensive research work to verify the accuracy and look for supportive evidences. To have a broader understanding of peer editing and writing, the students can collaborate on writing a Wikipedia article on a topic they are studying. Such a method would teach the students to be not only consumers of information but also being active participants in its creation.

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  179. @Pooja Surajbali
    I do agree with your point that Facebook provides a platform where discussions concerning studies can be done, and this is a very good use of social networking, although this blog has other aims as well.

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  180. Shaheen Sk Hossen25 October 2011 at 21:39

    Web 2.0 technologies provide teachers with new ways to engage students in a new way of learning.
    By making the shift to a Web 2.0 classroom, teachers are creating a more open atmosphere where students are expected to stay engaged and participate in the discussions and learning that is taking place around them.
    In fact, students embrace these new learning environments and approach a stand where they take control of their own learning, make connections with peers, and produce new insights and ideas, which is a healthy way of learning.
    Education must be not only socially, but collaboratively constructed, which is done through social networking sites such as blogs.

    However, we should not forget that The Web 2.0 offers all users the same freedom to contribute and thus may provide wrong information. A good example is the wiki.
    Moreover, the fact that students are enjoying the social network makes education in the classroom boring for them, which is still the common way of teaching in Mauritius!

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  181. Shaheen Sk Hossen25 October 2011 at 21:40

    @Pooja Surajbali
    I do agree with your point that Facebook provides a platform where discussions concerning studies can be done, and this is a very good use of social networking, although this blog has other aims as well.

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  182. The classroom as used previously doesn’t provide the atmosphere for all students to be free to give their opinions. On social platforms, they can express their views without having to pass through shyness as it occurs in the conventional classrooms. A social platform doesn’t mean spamming or growth of dependency on social network sites. The online class may be restricted to a certain number of students only. However, the class cannot be monitored thoroughly which rises a possible question, whether learning is taking place or not?

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  183. reply to Kiran Saraswati:I would tend to disagree with the opinions of Kiran Saraswati, but only to a certain extent. Applications like Wikipedia is a good medium for learning but not a 100% trusted one.It is infact a community where everyone has the right to contribute by sharing information they possess, what they think may be right and their personal opinions concerning a particular topic. Their contribution will still be shared even if it is inadequate, doubtful or even completely wrong. Thus this may lead to uncertain, untrustworthy, inadequate information being shared which in turn can be misleading. Concerning the use of tools like blogs, I would like to agree with your opinion especially the communication between different cultures. This may help to promote culture understanding and the process of learning will surely expand. But here also the risks of wrong, uncertain, inadequate information being shared do exist.

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  184. I will comment on what my friend Yasodachedumbaram has said, dated 18 Oct 2011. Firstly, i would totally agree to what this student has said, that the web 2.0 tool is used mostly for fun by many! It is true that most of us see facebook as a platform where we share our daily experiences, and photos. It would not be wrong to say that some poeple even clearly expose their private life on facebook. However, to say that the web 2.0 tool is not an essential tool would not be entirely true to me. It is an essential one, but the key lies in how to use it. Another point raised by my friend is that these tools are used to polish our skills, to which I fully agree. Indeed the best way to learn is to be in a classroom where a teacher is available to impart knowledge and to answer any query by students. Web 2.0 is then used as an additional tool for further and deeper learning.

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  185. Web 2.0 tools have brought a collaborative and creative way of learning in the field of education. Modern tools like blogs, facebook and other applications are widely used by students nowadays. Even a student aged 9 years old can be found with an account on facebook which is quiet shocking for some educators but it is a fact! Facebook is a type of web 2.0 tool where one can get access to somebody’s profile where brief or detailed comments can be post about any topics being discussed. It provides a way where communication and learning is widely acquired. Normally, students prefer these types of stuffs as they can easily get immediate access and their communication needs are straightforwardly satisfied. So why not make our lives easier and learn through the use of web tools? Learning from blogs motivates students a lot as blogging is found to be much more fun and interesting. News, articles, views, comments, up-to-date information and ideas are easily and quickly shared. It develops communication skills and thus allowing one to be more interactive and develop his critical thinking. This type of learning also facilitates research work as it is much more creative and fast than that of going to a library. A classroom is also considered to be a social network as participants can interact with each other, that is, peer to peer learning. However, learning through these types of sites can sometimes be misleading and thus users should know with whom to connect in a social network. To sum up, web 2.0 tools is a really meaningful process of interactive and quick learning for students.

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  186. Well truly nowadays the web has become a core aspect of people's life. Now using the web2.0 is a very useful to teaching students and improving learning. Currently web 2.0 being the most stable one is being used by the tutors to help the student improve their learning with the blogs. I think by making use of facebook to do this is a very intuiative and strategic idea. Nowadays, nearly everyone has a facebook account and many spend countless hours on it everyday. So, if the tutors can use that to their advantage where they can make themselves heard and brings a new and inovative way of learning, students will to participate more. Many students are shy in class or cannot really express themselves in front of others in class, so with the use of blogs and facebook they can make themselves more heard. Moreover, there is the context of semantic web which is being currently developped. So, i think in the coming years tutors might make use of this as this can improve learning more than the web 2.0 as in the semantic the computer can also understands the meanings..

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  187. Web 2.0, Social Networks, and Learning.......
    In my point of view i completely agree that the use of web 2.0 must be used in education. Social Network is a great place to perform learning but student must be responsible enough to balance their leisure time and educational time on the network. This will encourage to learn as they can communicate and work together. I also agree that the forum need to be in form of a discussion this encourage students. as far as lecturers doubt about their potential I think that knowledge need to be shared.

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  188. @ Nazia Hamja.
    Well my friend u said it right, if facebook was created specifically for learning purposes we would not have so many people especially youngsters using it. It may be as u called a ‘school yard rather than a class room’ but still being in a school yard still gives u to opportunity to learn. It may be a different type of learning as compared to classrooms but still it can be used to improve learning. Facebook have several features like creating a page where people can post and others can comment. You can even be tagged personally in some comments as you know and these students will definitely check these notifications and in the end view those posts. It may not be as core learning in classrooms but still in the ‘school yard’ you tend to learn in a more friendly manner while being more open.

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  189. The advent of web 2.0 tools such blogs, social networks or wikis are real boost to maximize knowledge and spread education. This is one of the main reasons why education technologists are bent on making it a must to use social networks such as Facebook and Twitter as educational tools. Nowadays almost every youngster has a Facebook or a Twitter account. So, why not use it as an educational tool?
    Social networks consist of groups which can be very useful. Students can create their own group where they can share resources, exchange views and discuss important topics. All this can be done to get a better education in a friendly atmosphere, a good initiative indeed for youngsters.

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  190. Well, I think that the use of web 2.0 in the field of education can be rather meaningless in the sense that social networks like facebook and twitter were built up solely for socializing purposes and merging education in those may disrupt not only the whole entertainment part of what facebook brings around everyday but, also, it can be a hindrance in a student learning process since facebook is there for publication and spread of latest gossip and this is, certainly, not a good partner to the learning process. As a part of learning, blogs may help in sharing notes among a group of people studying the same course and social networks can be there for small queries or to convey small messages.

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  191. My comment is a response to my friend Sangkur Shiveer. Well I totally agree with Shiveer on the fact that many students confront the problem of shyness or they are afraid to express themselves simply because they can be victim of taunts in front of the whole class. But with social networks, this problem is eliminated, the student can express his views, he can ask whatever question tickling in his mind provided that it is related to the subject being taught.
    Now, the question of monitoring the virtual classroom, first of all, this type of learning will be mainly used by responsible adults or mature adolescent. Thus self-discipline must prevail so that success is assured. Secondly, in order to satisfy all expectations, students will surely be serious and hard-working to achieve their goal.

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  192. @Akshav
    As far as the disadvantages of Web2.0 is concerned i personally believe Too many people push the benefits of Web 2.0 without taking the time to educate people about the problems. One of the key problems with Web 2.0 is dependence. I'm a good example of what happens when you become heavily dependent on the Internet. If your connection should go down, how will you access the information that you come to depend on? Because many web services will be offered for free, they won't be secure, and they could easily be targeted by hackers.

    No matter how advanced the Internet becomes, it is very important for some things to be kept in a hard copy form. If your hard drive crashes, and you didn't back up your information, you could lose months for even years of work. Students may lose all their important documents saved or notes itself. This is something that few of us can afford. Sharing is also an issue that will become controversial. These are challenges that people will have to face once Web 2.0 is introduced.

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  193. In a certain way, I do agree with the article above. In the current world full of technology and online social activities, the new generation has already accepted this change of computer era and the older generation are forcing themselves to accept it as everything is now becoming computerized and being IT literate is now considered as a must rather than a choice.
    Youngsters are at ease with new technology and even younger ones are growing up with the habits of using web,Wikis,blogs and other web 2.0 in their study. Students usually learn more in less time when receiving computer-based instruction and they like classes more and develop more positive attitudes toward computers in computer-based classes
    The current teaching techniques occur in classrooms and lecture theatres, where handouts and photocopies are distributed and books are necessary to follow the pace, students are forced to attend lectures and sit in class that seems boring and monotonous. With web 2.0 we can avoid that, so, why not implement it in our educational system

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  194. From my point of view, I think that the use of web 2.0 tools in learning has benefited many youngsters today. In the way that we can get access to social networks or blogs everywhere and any time we want to communicate with friends or even teachers for information on specific courses. Web 2.0 also provides references by means of articles, news or opinions posted by others which are often very helpful to us.
    But there are some drawbacks concerning the web 2.0 tools especially the social networks such as Facebook which I think is not concern in the educational system as it may happens that false articles are posted and that youngsters mainly used it for entertainment and not for learning. But in general the other web 2.0 tools can be used for learning process.

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  195. @ vish
    i totally agree with you on the point you said “student must be responsible enough to balance their leisure time and educational time on the network."
    The new generation spend more time in leisure than in education

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  196. My friend Sanjay said right, students spend their time on these networks and they forget about their homeworks and all that. For learning purposes it is good but however we cannot abuse and be obsessed on these different social networks.

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  197. At Numrata.
    I completely agree with your opinion that not everyone is so friendly with social networks, because if some students have never used the Internet before or even work on a computer,they will prefer to turn themselves to the traditional way of learning instead of using the web 2.0 tools for their work.

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  198. In reply to the post made by Pajaani, I think he is right. The two-way learning is the best method since there are human involvement and direct contact. It is impossible to carry out the core teaching and learning on a platform like Facebook. However, the social networking sites can be used as an extension to the classroom. Whatever could not be completed in the class because of lack of time can be continued on these online groups and additional questions which will force the students to reflect on can be posted.

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  199. Web 2.0 Social Networks and Learning.
    It is indeed true that the Web 2.0 provides a communication facility; one can easily ask a question concerning something he didn’t understand in class to his friend on the social blogs such as facebook or twitter, however there are ‘distractors’ present these kind of blogs that would more often deviate his attention when compared to a social network in a classroom. It is more often found that students are rather chatting or playing games on these blogs than discussing education things. But if seen as an information tool, Web 2.0 does have a varied impact on students. The topics conversed on these blogs are of all types and may be useful in some way or the other to the students where it is not mandatory to talk within the ‘formal education context’. Also just a simple note of the date of a class test posted on these sites can be useful to those who weren’t in class when it was announced.

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  200. Reply to Sangkur Shiveer:
    I completely approve to the fact that the conventional classroom that we Mauritians are used to does not give the equal opportunity to all those present in that class. It is often found that those who already know about a particular subject who would ask the teacher to clarify some of his/her doubts and those who don’t know anything will tend to remain silent just in fear they are not made fun of. So, your saying that an online social platform would more or else ‘erase’ that fear or shyness to ask about a particular thing is correct to me and for the question raised by you, I would say that the answer only depends on what you define as ‘learning’.

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