Collaboration and Networked Technology

Abstract

This article reports details of the implementation and results of an investigation into the use of the World Wide Web as a teaching tool in Computing Studies Methods (educational technology) at the University of Sydney (SU) and in Computer Literacy at the University of Adelaide (AU). Using the Web to learn about topics in educational technology, courses at both universities undertook a restructuring of content and delivery to examine the viability of the Web as a medium for collaborative learning through browsing, indexing, and publication. A student-centered delivery was negotiated at both SU and AU, with course leaders and laboratory demonstrators acting as facilitators. Students at SU were graduates with computer science training studying teaching methodology in Computing Studies, while those at AU were first-year students without computer science training studying Computer Literacy. At each university, students worked both individually and cooperatively in small groups to produce projects on assigned topics, using the Web as the information resource; a search tool; and, finally, as the medium for publication. Results with this technique are encouraging, with students turning in high-quality projects and being provided valuable exposure to the Web as a teaching and learning resource. In the formal student evaluations of the courses, the students overwhelmingly reported enjoying the sessions and said that time spent investigating, talking, and structuring project solutions using the Web was productive. We suggest that the approach of browsing, searching, analyzing, and publishing Web-based material seems to offer benefits that enhance the investigative and problem-solving abilities that form a generic set of skills required for a changing curriculum in educational technology and computer literacy. Such approaches are based on constructivist principles and have major implications for assessment and curriculum; these are discussed briefly. Our experience suggests that a Web-based curriculum is a resource for student projects that does not require any extensive modification for novice computer users—although some allowances need to be made to avoid some students becoming overwhelmed by technical details such as coding HTML. Similar work was produced by the experienced students and the first-year group. Additionally, we would like to foster a greater cooperation to reinforce learning through collaborative technology and the Web across the sites, allowing the more experienced students to work directly with those in the computer literacy course. We believe that this practice would enable the students in the educational technology course to reflect the learning of the novice students and build on their training as future teachers.