An innovative approach for promoting information exchanges and sharing in a Web 2.0-based learning environment

Abstract

Although Web 2.0 technologies have been recognized as effective means of conducting group learning activities, a critical and challenging issue of Web 2.0-based learning is the lack of mechanisms for promoting information exchanges and sharing among participating students. To cope with this problem, an intelligent blog system is proposed in this article to assist teachers in conducting group learning activities on the Internet. In this system, a promotion mechanism is provided to encourage the exchanging and sharing of information and learning resources by collecting and analyzing the frequently asked questions and the historical contents selected from relevant discussion forums. On the basis of the experimental results, the system is proven to be able to fulfill the need of the students and the teachers and also very helpful for enhancing students' learning efficacy.

Keywords:

• blog
• Web 2.0 technology
• computer-assisted learning
• group learning
• discussion forum

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Miss Pei-San Tsai, Mr. Wei-Chien Liao and Prof. Gwo-Haur Hwang for their assistance in developing the blog system and conducting the experiment. This study is supported in part by the National Science Council of the Republic of China under contract numbers NSC 98-2511-S-024-007-MY3, NSC 97-2511-S-011-001 and NSC 98-2631-S-024-001.