In reading Web 2.0 Applications and Practices for Learning Through Collaboration, I became very interested in learning more about how to use these applications. I have blogged before in one other class at ISU. This will be my second time using a blog. I am particularly interested in the potential of collaborative learning. As mentioned in the article, a blog can become a place where groups can "build on each other's work and progress." I know that a blog has the potential to be a great place where I can increase my learning and in turn, help others learn and progress. I think that may have been the intent of my professor in a previous class I had. However, at the time, I did not find it very rewarding to me. I think there was the same type of issues as mentioned in the article, where my classmates and I found it hard to give feedback. We were asked to post our papers to our blogs and give feedback to each other. Each students paper was about a different subject they had researched. I don't think we were familiar with the subjects of each other's papers and did not feel like we should be editing it. I did enjoy the experience working with blogger but didn't feel that I was learning through collaboration. Most of us in the class worked very independently. It will be very important to have a common goals and issues to discuss in order for the web applications to be effective in the classroom.
I am hoping that this class will give me the opportunity to learn more about web 2.0 applications. I am very interested in learning about those that I have never heard of before until I read the article. I have never heard of Pixorial, Stroome, and Kaltura. I have also never used Twitter but am really excited about learning how to use it.