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Charles Devlin

May 27, 2014


EDET 780


Brown, Susan. "Seeing Web 2.0 in Context: A Study of Academic Perceptions." Science
Direct. N.p., Jan. 2012. Web. 21 May 2014.
http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.04.003


Introduction
The selected article Seeing Web 2.0 in Context: A Study of Academic
Perceptions was a research article that intended to explore the perceptions of
university professors and those who teach educators about the usefulness of Web 2.0
tools in their setting.
The study was conducted at University in the United Kingdom, participation was
voluntary as the researcher sent an email to 2,000 educators requesting their
involvement. Educators who responded were asked to complete an online survey that
explored their perceptions of Web 2.0 tools. The researcher then selected candidates
who actively teach with web 2.o tools and conducted interviews with them.
Of the 4,200 educators contacted, 22 were interviewed after meeting the
researchers criteria. The results gathered from those 22 interviews stated that the
blanket use of Web 2.0 tools is not appropriate. Additionally, the research showed that
Web 2.0 is useful in promoting student-centered learningand ongoing experimentation
with and discussion of Web 2.0 is the best way of reaching a deeper understanding of
its potential. The researcher did not identify any limitations, however, the small sample
size for this research product leaves me questioning its validity and long-term usage.


Critique



The research question in this article was implied to state that the researcher was
trying to gain a perspective on web 2.0 tools being used at the university. A
hypothesis was not presented or attempted to be proven. The researcher attempted to
gauge perception. The researcher discussed changing her method midstream, as
there were phenomena in her data. She adjusted her coding and future interviews to
account for this issue.
There was a section devoted to the perceptions of web 2.0 in the literature. The
selected research was comprised of current articles. Many of the articles discussed
the need for a paradigm shift in education to encourage increased usage of web 2.0
tools. The current view according to the researcher focused on issues that were easier
for the educators and were not student centered. She further discusses how this may
be caused by the fear of learning new technology. The selected literature was diverse
and appropriate.
The article was written by a student in the United Kingdom and presented this
reviewer some difficulty with translation. While uses of behaviour was expected and
understood. The researcher used some slang/jargon that was exclusive to the United
Kingdom. Additionally, the researcher used the word tutor quite often, which could
translate to teacher or graduate assistant. The researcher used the word academic
when referring to professors or educators. I sent a paragraph to a British colleque
who advised me he had struggled with the interpretation stating some poor word
choices were used. For that reason, I feel this paper was not accessible to a wider
audience.
My research topic for much of this course has been web 2.0. Whether it is
perception, or usage in K-12/higher education. I have been interested in real world
applications of these tools and this article aligned with those needs. The data however
failed to impress me. I feel the information gained from this article comprises a slice of
the population, however that slice is so small I would not consider the data relevant.
The researcher clearly states the results of the study and provides good
interpretations of the data reviewed. The researcher mentions the theory being studied
in the introduction, conclusion and periodically throughout the article.






Conclusion

I feel the biggest limitation to this article was the sample size. Less than one
percent of the educators at the university were included .The researcher reached out to
4250 individuals, however the final results were based on findings of 22 educators.
When the slice is that small, I question the validity.
The data the researcher did grab was interesting and I truly enjoyed some of the
anecdotal comments the researcher placed in the paper that showed the perceptions of
the professors of the university. A math teacher stated that Web 2.0 tools would be
fine in the classes where answers are wishy-washy but have no place in courses
where there is only one right answer. Comments like that help prove part of her
conclusion, stating that a deeper understanding of its potential is needed for increased
usage in the university setting.

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