Web tools 2.

0 technologies and learning

Technologies that are used to achieve learning goals and learning outcomes are constantly
evolving. As some technologies fall into disuse (Traifire) other technologies are developed.
Currently, the uses of technology in learning are divided into three categories:
1. Learning about technology: Learning about computer hardware, computer software
applications and computer programming languages. These are three very different areas
of technology each with its own knowledge base and sets of skills.
2. Learning from technology: Using computer software applications and/or the internet to
acquire information and learn skills.
3. Learning with technology: Using computers and their software applications as tools to
help the learner in completing inquiry-based projects e.g. webquests, Problem and Project
Based Learning, Wikis and educational blogging. (Jonassen and Peck, 2006)
The technologies that are available for use in instruction can be categorized according to their
range of use and their relevance to instructional enterprises. To further explain: technologies can
be separated into two broad categories, those technologies that are used in education but which
were not created specifically for educational purposes. For example, the Microsoft Office suite
of tools, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access and Publisher were not created for educational
purposes. Nor were the online versions of Office suites, e.g. Google tools and Zoho Office tools.
They were created as business tools for the office environment. Nevertheless, these have
become standard tools which educators use to accomplish instructional goals. Tools like the MS
Office Suite and its Open Source alternative LibreOffice are generic technologies; they are
used to achieve educational outcomes and goals but they were not created specifically to achieve
educational goals and outcomes. Other generic technologies include Thinglink, YouTube, and
Slideshare.
The second group of technologies is what is described as educational technologies.
Educational technologies are software applications that were specifically created to achieve
educational goals and outcomes. Educational technologies of this kind include online
whiteboards e.g. Twiddla, and Stoodle wikis e.g. wikispaces, and concept mapping software
e.g. MindMeister .
This second group of technologies can be further categorized into two groups: Technologies
that are educationally generic, that is, educational technologies that are not subject or discipline
specific and educational technologies that are subject and discipline specific. For example, non-
specific educational technologies include Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) such as
Edmodo, Lore, HaikuLearning or Twiducate, which can be used to teach any subject. Concept
mapping software applications such as CMap tools or Bubbl.us can be used to map the relations
between concepts in any subject area or knowledge domain. Rubistar can be used to create
rubrics for any subject, Diigo can be used to curate content for any subject and webquest
makers e.g. Zunal and Aula21 can be used to create webquests for any subject.
Subject specific educational technologies on the other hand, are only useful to the subject or
discipline they support. The ChemCollective virtual lab is a chemistry simulation software useful
only to chemistry teachers and students. Cells Alive! is useful to Biology teachers and students
and the ReadWriteThink interactives are useful to literacy teachers and students. The
classification schema for the various technologies is represented in the diagram below.
As a web tools 2.0 certified teacher, you will need to familiarize yourself with all the types
of technologies that are used in education, and the capabilities of each type of technology for
achieving your instructional goals.

Diagram 1: Classification schema for technologies used in Education