A Study of A Web 2.0-based Educative Platform

Jang-Ruey Tzeng, Shih-Chi Liu, Wei-Kuo Lin

Despite the booming information technology, traditionally one-way teaching/learning mode remains dominating the class. Although there are some education institutes take information system as a supplementary tool and some courses has been taught online, teaching materials in class are in the main the written ones, and online forms of teaching still concentrate in one classroom assisted by programmed media. Generally speaking, textbooks and classrooms are the major vehicles of the education in Taiwan with a main purpose to have face-to-face conveyance of knowledge. The conventional means to education has been criticized as monotonous, depressing and restraining [1]. To orient the situation toward the future that education is a service system with students rather than tutors at the center [2], this paper looks at the application potentials of Web 2.0 technology to be integrated into the teaching frameworks. With the core value of Web 2.0 technology that lies in the empowerment of internet users from sole capabilities to download and reading into one that can upload and share, the paper seeks to construct an educative platform supported by the Web 2.0 technology with a view to transform conventional forms of tutors-centered education and improve teaching and learning effects. The paper is structurally divided into four sections. Section 1 gives a brief on the Web 2.0 technology. Section 2 frame the current gaps left by digital educative platforms. Section 3 is to construct a preliminary educative model supported by the Web 2.0 technology with four elements—website users, contents, virtual community and tools—put into the flowchart. A discussion and recommendation for further research lies in Section 4, which also serves as a conclusion.

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