Running head: JUSTIFYING WEB 2.

1
Student ID: Nicoleen Brooks 312102001
Course Code: EDTK 2030

The University of the West Indies

Open Campus
Programme: Early Childhood Development and Family Studies

Course Title: EDTK2030 Information and Communication Technology in

Education | S1 16/17

Assignment Title: Justify the use of Web 2.0 tools for the development of higher-order thinking
skills. Introduce the topic, then using existing research, explain the value of these tools on
developing higher-order thinking. You must include examples.

Word Count (excluding references and appendices): (900-1200 words)

Due Date: November 26, 2016

Students Name: Nicoleen Brooks

tutors Name: Debra-Dreana Marshall-Stuart

JUSTIFYING WEB 2.0

Abstract
The use of web 2.0 helps students to achieve higher order thinking skills as it allows the
learner to communicate using wiki, blogs and social media. Teacher and student use of web 2.0
caters to the different learners as each learn in a different way to achieve higher order thinking
skills.

JUSTIFYING WEB 2.0

The global community has seen an increase in individuals being more creative, and are
sharing their opinions, ideas and experiences in interconnective ways via weblogs (blogs), wikis
and social networks (social media). This helps to promote peoples higher order thinking skills
which include creating, evaluating and analysing (Atherton, 2002). However, before one can
create one must have remembered, understood, applied, analyse and evaluate for higher order
thinking skills to be realized. The teacher gives developmentally appropriate activities to
challenge learners, promotes active participation, problem-solving skills, and engage in research
to promote student higher order thinking (Bonwell & Eison). When individuals engage in
research and become active participants in his or her own learning and collaborate with others at
the same time, it helps the learner to promote higher order thinking skills.
One tool that can enable higher order thinking skills in ICT is web 2.0 tools. The uses
Web 2.0 technologies allows for greater collaboration and sharing of resources among a
community of online learners. The technology used supports visual and audio and act as stimuli
to the learner. It will provide the student and teacher access to current data, and allow students
greater choice and subsequently ownership of their own learning (Konetes). Case in point web
2.0 tools such as blog, wiki and social media are used to provide feedback from teachers to
students through blog responses, immediately (Fogarty & McTighe, 1993). The learner s
success is dependent on the teacher situating the task and the goal the teacher hopes the student
will achieve while promoting thinking in the content by asking open-ended questions that
challenge the learner but are manageable (Schwartz, 2005). Web 2.0 tools include Blogs, Wikis
and Social Networks facilitate interactive, collaborative and informative setting while promoting
individual higher order thinking skills. Therefore, web 2.0 tools such as Weblogs, Wikis and

JUSTIFYING WEB 2.0

Social Networks can help individuals to build higher order thinking skills while collaborating
and interacting with others.
Web 2.0 Weblogs (blogs)
Weblogs are Web 2.0 tool that helps individuals perform higher order thinking skills.
Weblog commonly known as blogs is a website that is easily editable and contains a writer's or
group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, and often has images and links to
other websites (Dictionary.com - About Us, n.d.). The teacher utilizes blogs to update students
on class assignments and provide updates for other information. Blog help to stimulate students'
thinking skills, exchange ideas, create and collaborate with others globally within an online
learning community.
To illustrate, a teacher prepares activities to achieve specific goals and began a discussion
on a specific topic using a blog. The questions used are not multiple choice but challenges the
learner to think. Web 2.0 Blogger is an example of a blog and it allows the student to, think
critically about the other persons contribution and synthesise the diverse peer responses
(Zawilinski, L. (2009). The Blogger also allows the students to be in control of their own
learning, reads, evaluate, analyse and understand the task requirements begin to create a solution
by using whatever method necessary to perform the task such as a research. This, in turn, results
in the student engaged further in a process of higher order thinking. Therefore, web 2.0 Blogger
is open to helping students achieving higher order thinking skills as they analyse, evaluate and
create opportunities to achieve the target set by the teacher and participating in blogging.
Web 2.0 Wiki
A Wiki is a Web 2.0 tool that helps individuals perform higher order thinking skills. Web
2.0 is a user centred web of multisensory communication and allows users to add and change not

JUSTIFYING WEB 2.0

only content but content describing data. The wiki is one such web tool where students in small
groups can develop projects or activities. In addition, students use it as a space for collaborative
writing, research, brainstorm, and team work (Collier, J. 2010). The uses of web 2.0 tool such as
Wikispaces helps student scaffold learning, it enables the user to be creative and accomplish task
at a higher level than he or she would attain by himself or herself. The teacher sets targets to
achieve and uses a wiki to help students participation to achieve the goal. The students will
develop higher order thinking skills by careful planning involving analysis, evaluation and
creating new knowledge. Both teacher and student teaching and learning styles are different,
therefore, the wiki allows both users to adjust from the traditional way of teaching and learning.
The teacher adapts the curriculum and uses the new Bloom Taxonomy to engage users in higher
order thinking. The students change their learning styles to achieve the desired objective
(Higher-order thinking, n.d.).
The wiki helps the students to provide the scaffolding necessary to develop on a
consistent basis. This is essential as it allows the students to achieve learning objectives that
promote higher order thinking skills. The students working on a project together using the wiki
will engage each other in chat forums, collaborate, write, share, involve in peer commenting on
the activity, construct meaning, in a collaborative active learning environment (Woo, M., Chu, S.,
Ho, A., & Xuanxi, L. 2011). As students collaborate and use the wiki their vocabulary are
enhanced. They add ideas, expand on ideas, reorganize ideas, correct errors such as grammar,
spelling and punctuation (Fasawang, P., & Saovapa, W. 2015). The interconnectivity among
students actively participating affords the discovery of new words, grammar usage, and evaluate
group members resulting in better writers and scrutineers. Therefore, as the students work in

JUSTIFYING WEB 2.0

groups using the wiki they connect, construct meaning and promotes the students problemsolving skills and higher order thinking skills.
Web 2.0 social networks
Social Networks is a Web 2.0 tool that helps individuals perform higher order thinking
skills. This allows learners to problem solve, focus, interact, share, participate, and become team
builders as the students collaborate in active group participation, and discover rather than only
delivering of content (Fasawang, P., & Saovapa, W. 2015). Web 2.0 tool social media such as
Facebook allow teachers to use it as an instructional way to connect with students in an online
learning discussion.
The teacher posed questions to the students as the integration of Blooms Taxonomy and
social media such as Facebook is used to nourish students higher order thinking skills. Research
has shown that students had positive attitudes toward using Facebook in the classroom, as
Facebook allows users to participate intellectually. The students use social media to begin their
own discussions that were initiated by the teacher, and interpret the same information in different
ways (Learning, n.d.). Facebook used as an active learning group, allows learners to engage in
discussions, internalise dialogue and verbalize their understandings by making contributions to
arguments (Learning, n.d.). Therefore, discussing general topics by way of social media allows
students to respond to questions provided through open-response instead of using multiple choice
questions, and allow users to be engaged in higher-order analysis and writing skills (Higherorder thinking, n.d.). Social media, including Facebook enable users to be more engaged in the
learning process as active learners, and become team builders (Ekoc, 2014). Teachers used social
medias class portals as a source of information, to invite comment, provide links to worksheets,
and provide links to motivating websites to motivate their students (Barone, D. (2012). Some

JUSTIFYING WEB 2.0

teachers gave student's choice of learning activities within the portal, to promote their higher
order thinking skills as the students create, evaluate and analyse (Atherton, 2002).
Conclusion
In conclusion web 2.0 encourages users to interact and collaborate with others, whether
through blogs, wikis and social networks. This collaboration and working together helps
individuals as they create, evaluate and analyse by participating and building higher order
thinking skills.

JUSTIFYING WEB 2.0

Reference

Barone, D. (2012). Exploring Home and School Involvement of Young Children with Web 2.0
and Social Media. Research In The Schools, 19(1), 1-11.
Bonwell, C., & Eison, J. (n.d.). Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom.
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http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED336049.pdf
Collier, J. (2010). Wiki Technology in the Classroom: Building Collaboration Skills. Journal Of
Nursing Education, 49(12), 718. doi:10.3928/01484834-20101117-02
Fasawang, P., & Saovapa, W. (2015). using space in social media to promote undergraduate
students' critical thinking skills. Turkish Online Journal Of Distance Education (TOJDE),
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(Ekoc, 2014) as cited in EDTK2030. Information and communication technology in education.
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Higher-order thinking. (n.d.). Retrieved 11 19, 2016, from Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher-order_thinking
Konetes, G. (n.d.). The Effects of Distance Education and Student Involvement on Incidental
Learning. IUP Doctoral Dissertations, 115. Retrieved 11 19, 2016, from
https://dspace.iup.edu/bitstream/handle/2069/477/George Konetes.pdf?sequence=1
Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved 11 19, 2016, from Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning

JUSTIFYING WEB 2.0

Schwartz, D. L. (2005). Efficiency and innovation in transfer: Transfer of learning from a

modern multidisciplinary perspective. 115. Retrieved 11 19, 2016
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Woo, M., Chu, S., Ho, A., & Xuanxi, L. (2011). Using a Wiki to Scaffold Primary-School
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Zawilinski, L. (2009). HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order
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