2nd Draft

Hey guys,

This is the 2nd draft of my dissertation, if you could read it and let me know how it is that would be great, you can get hold of me on twitter (chloebrown11) or email me at chloe.brown11@gmail.com

This part is about web 2.0 and e-learning however I know google wave/buzz hasnt yet been written and the aims havent been finished yet however the rest is all there :)

Thanks

Chloe
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Aims of the review
Within this study the use of web 2.0 and it’s current use in various industries including sport will be looked at. The types of current training logs and training plans using the internet from current sports clubs and NGB’s will be looked at and analysed and finally a list will be compiled of which factors are a necessity and which are optional for a training plan and training log and then these will be linked up with web 2.0 to find the best way of delivering these and allowing the coach and athlete to communicate in this way.

Communication between and athlete and coach is an important part of
Web 2.0 - What is it?

Web 2.0 is the “participatory” or “read/write” Web, emphasizing tools and platforms that enable the user to talk back (web 2.0...). buzzwords summerises web 2.0 into “user-generated content”. Therefore anything on the world wide web which has been in some way edited by users can be classed as being part of web 2.0. The use of technology is a major part of young people’s lives today and therefore should be considered when communicating with them. The literacy trust found that 82% of children own a mobile phone and 78% have access to a computer at home. The use of this technology gave young people a greater opportunity to write creatively and it was found that young people who used social networking sites and blogs enjoyed writing more and felt more confident. This therefore allowed them to write more prolifically in their school work. Bayam (in Jones 1998) stated that “the homogeneity of the net is further enhanced by the obvious, yet often ignored, fact that most of the world’s population have no internet access and likely never will.” Whilst Lockard also said that less than “one percent of the adult global population” have no internet access and therefore overall in the world is seen as irrelevant. Although this may be the case for many countries in the United Kingdom ofcom has shown that the majority of people have internet access and social media in particular has now become the number 1 activity on the internet (Qualman, XXXX). Before considering how web 2.0 may be useful, the different aspects of web 2.0 must be looked at in detail to see what each provides.

Social Networking

Social networking was differentiated from the internet by Shih (2009) by saying that it is “the World Wide Web of people” therefore social networking is not just a matter of connecting a computer to another computer but more about bringing people together. She also suggests that the next stage in the digital revolution will be “capturing and using information about how we as individuals are connected.” “In most cases users are allowed to customise their user profile pages by entering HTML into such areas as ‘About me’” (Mason and Rennie 2008) There are many forms of social networking for example Facebook and Myspace which include the majority of social networking aspects. Twitter, whilst be a social network, is slightly different from the rest, it allows you to post a 140 character update about what you are doing and send messages to other users. It does not include other aspects of social networking such as file sharing etc. However is a good way to keep up to date with other members. Applications are a major part of keeping people interested in social networks like Facebook, there is a wide range available from games to sharing media and interests with friends. Some applications are based just within the social network site however there are some that provide a service such as Pizza Hut’s application which allows you to order pizza delivery through Facebook. Therefore we can see that Facebook is not only used for connecting friends and family but also to connect bussiness’s and can be personalised to the users wishes. Whilst applications can be used through the social networking site itself, applications can also be used to use the social networking site on other sites, often appearing in the form of a widget. An example of this is the widget that allows you to embed your twitter feed onto another website. The literacy trust found that 56% of young people have a profile on social networking sites whilst ofcom found that 50% of young people have a profile on social networking sites. This means that by using social networking to contact players is a way of connecting to them quickly. Ofcom (A) showed that 87% of social network users visit the network at least once a week. Ofcom (A) sees social network users in different categories,
• Alpha Socialisers who use them to flirt, meet new people and for entertainment, Followers who use them to keep up to date with their peers.
• Faithfuls who use social networking for talking to friends who they have not seen in a while.
• Attention Seekers who crave comments from others on their profile.
• Functionals who use social networking sites to pursue hobbies etc.
Some researchers find that the online communities within social networking sites can produce some problems in everyday “offline” life. Doheny-Farina (1996 in Baya 1998) stated “A community is bound by a place, which always includes complete social and environmental necessities. It is not something you can easily join. You can’t subscribe to a community as you subscribe to a discussion group on the net. It must be lived. It is entwined, contradictory, and involves all our senses.” If this point of view is correct then we should be worried about the ethics and morality offline (Robins 1995, in Baya 1998)

Wikis
“Wikis are collaborative, web-based sites for sharing text and other resources” (Mason and Rennie 2008). The information within a Wiki can be edited by any user and therefore allows a joint document to be created. As they are generally written by non-specialists, the language makes it easier for everyone to read and understand meaning that certain aspects of knowledge are not confined to just the well educated. Wikis are generally popular because they use the idea of open participation and communal evaluation (Bruns 2006). Wikipedia is probably the most well known of all wikis. It is a user edited encyclopaedia that anyone on the web can use for free. Whilst this is of great use to the general public, for more in depth research it is not always accurate. Wikipedia has evolved into such a large database that “Reading the full content of Wikipedia would take you over 2 years” (Ayers et. al., 2008) Free wikis can be accessed through the use of google docs or WetPaint however free services often do not allow you to save much data or manage the site in terms of security very well. Other services which usually involve a fee include sites like MediaWiki where administrators are able to regulate the site as much as they want and upload an unlimited number of files. (West and West, 2009). Wikis have been criticised for not being accurate as it has not been written by experts however Qualman (XXXX) suggests that Wikipedia is more accurate than Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Blogs
Weblogs or “blogs” can be defined as “a webpage with new entries placed at the top, updated frequently – sometimes several times a day” (Rebecca Blood, 2002). Blogs are normally non commercial and can be used by anyone. Websites such as blogger.com and wordpress.com provide a service for free, allowing users to create and update a blog as often as they wish. Users “choose their own template and often spend considerable time adjusting the way their blogs look and work” (Jill Walker Rettburg, 2008). meaning that not only the content of the blog is important but also the layout and the aesthetics. One of the main reasons that blogging is so popular is because it is easy to produce and allows the user to display their thoughts or knowledge. (Jill Walker Rettburg, 2008). Blogs are generally written so that users can share their information with the world as though they expect followers. Generally only a few followers will be enough for the user to continue using this product (Jill Walker Rettburg, 2008). Blogs do not have to be written by only one member but can be a group effort, Blogger allows you invite friends to blog with you on one page. Blood (2002) suggests that by regularly updating a blog you can build better writers, self awareness, critical thinkers, reputations and connected businesses, although there is no research to prove most of these facts, the national literacy trust has found that children who have blogs and update them regularly are generally better at literacy and enjoy writing more than their peers.

Podcasts and Vodcasts
Podcasts and Vodcasts are a form of blogging however rather than using text they use audio, video or both. Podcasts are only audio however vodcasts are video and generally audio. Podcasts are chosen as a form of blogging for business use as well as personal. Universities have begun to use podcasts and vodcasts and as there has been such a large market for now producing podcasts for lectures companies such as iTunes have a section especially for these files. They can be used to connect with customers and followers on a more personal basis. Podcasts can be downloaded onto a mobile device which makes listening to the podcast easier and can be replayed multiple times (Mason and Rennie 2008). As podcasts can be created by almost anyone, the content, especially of educational podcasts, may not be reliable and in much detail (Mason and Rennie, 2008).

Second Life, Chat Rooms and instant messaging
Second Life is a form of virtual reality, along with other sites such as habbo hotel. Virtual Reality can be describes as “a computer generated 3D environment within which users can participate in real time and experience a sensation of being there” (Ferguson and McMenemy, 2007). Whilst these are only a basic form of virtual reality they can still be quite lifelike. Second Life is controlled by residents where users are able to explore, learn and do business. The Open University has a “world” of Second Life which allows you to XXX. “Many people see Second Life as taking web 2.0 into web 3.0 or even web 3.D!” (Mason and Rennie, 2008). Virtual reality can be used to train people for example pilots can use a simulator to practice safely. Second life and habbo hotel also come under the category of chat rooms. Chat rooms can be used to link people together with similar interests who have never met before. There is a large amount of concern over using chat rooms however as many people feel that some users, especially those who are younger, are at risk of meeting someone who may harm them XXX. Instant messaging is very similar to chat rooms in the way that it is possible to talk to other people who are online in real time, however it is more secure and private. Only people invited into a conversation may take part. MSN, Yahoo and AOL are among many instant messaging systems. The literacy trust found that 73.1% of young people regularly use instant messaging. “Predictions are that IM will surpass email as the primary online communications tool.” (Mason and Rennie, 2008). Online forums are another way of connecting with people. “A forum is essentially a website composed of a number of threads” (Mason and Rennie 2008). The threads all include a discussion between users on a specific topic.

File Sharing
File sharing has recently become very popular on the web. There are also many different forms of file sharing. It can be private or public and in some cases illegal. Sites such as youtube allow users to upload videos onto the network and make these available to the whole internet. As with Wikipedia, youtube can provide an educational purpose.
Most social networking sites now allow file sharing of some kind. Facebook for example will allow you to upload photos and videos to share with friends. Within these photos people can be “tagged” and so this enables them to collate all the photos or videos of themselves.

Google Wave and Google Buzz

Educational Usage

E-Learning
Rosenberg (2001) suggests that there are three fundamental criteria to be able to define something as e-learning. These were,
1. E-learning is networked, which makes it capable of instant updating, storage/retrieval, distribution and sharing of instruction or information
2. It is delivered to the end-user via a computer using standard internet technology
3. It focuses on the broadest view of learning – learning solutions that go beyond the traditional paradigms of training
There are many definition of e-learning, Rosenberg (2001) also suggested that that distance learning defines one way correspondence and other approaches that do not fit e-learning and therefore e-learning can be described as a form of distance learning, however distance learning is not e-learning. Holmes and Gardner (2006) argue that e-learning allows students to become publishers of information and not just consumers, therefore allowing collaborative learning.
Within e-learning there are many different types, Holmes and Gardner (2006) suggested that they come under the categories of single user, multi user and community of learners. They suggest that e-learning initially started off with single user type of content however progressed up to having a community of learners. Examples of these types may include using virtual case studies, this can involve other students however allows students to take part in the study whilst still allowing them to research their role and perhaps allow them to perform tasks that otherwise would not have been possible. Holmes and Gardner (2006) suggested that this encourages a more active learning style which is useful for students. Problem based learning can also be used to allow students to develop thinking skills. A good example of this style is the Classrooms of the Future Project and website. The site asks students to analyse the problem scenario, list what is known, list what is needed, list possible actions, analyse information and present their findings (Holmes and Gardner, 2006). Figure 1 was taken from Hardaker and Smith () and suggests that different parts of e-learning can fall into 4 different categories with some overlaps. Interactive media involves the student taking a larger part in the learning and feedback on choices are given where as static is the opposite and the information is a fixed to a single outcome every time. Individual work means that the student may work alone on the task however a collective form of e-learning would involve multiple users interacting using the web. However Hardaker and Smith () do not state which one of these e-learning styles works best with people and this is possibly because different people have different learning styles and so a combination of all should be used to achieve success across a large group of people. This was also discussed by Gardner (1983) as a learner may have different types of intelligence and therefore learn in many different ways,

Figure 1

Rosenberg (2001) discussed the benefits of e-learning and suggested that some of these benefits included lower costs, enhancing business responses, messages can be customised depending on the need, content is more timely and dependable, learning can take place at any time, access is becoming less of an issue, builds a community, allows access to the internet universally, small or large groups can use it and it can help gain feedback from users on how to provide a positive customer service. Clarke (2008) suggests that the benefits also include being able to learn anywhere and at any pace and therefore a slow learner may still learn all that is required where as in a classroom they would be hurried along with the pace of the rest of the class. Hills (2003) suggests that the downside of widely used e-learning is that those who are not digitally literate will struggle with learning. Therefore it is important that whilst the majority of young people today and now digitally literate, we do not exclude those who are not and so teaching styles need to vary to suit everyone. Hills goes on to discuss that e-learning alone does not provide the social aspect of learning as a lot of learning is done socially for example there will be no role models or face to face feedback, teachers can also not get to know the personality of their students and therefore may struggle when it comes to knowing how each student reacts to feedback. In order to create any environment you need to consider the student’s learning styles and what you want the student to learn. You can then begin to design a learning environment based around the student.
Unfortunately e-learning is not used as widely in all subject areas. Becker (2000) found that computers in schools are mostly used for computer and business subjects and this could be due to factors such as scheduling as teachers only have 1 session a week with students and therefore are less likely to use computers. Teachers are also under pressure to cover the curriculum and therefore have to cover a large amount of information within a year. Becker also noted that there is not usually enough computers within a school for convenient access to occur.

Virtual Case Studies and Web Quests
There are many ways of presenting case studies to students by using web 2.0 tools. Most of which are already online and require no setting up. It allows case studies to be explored in more detail, fieldwork to take place without leaving the site, experiments that may not be possible within the classroom and more. Holmes and Gardner (2006) suggest that there are 2 main varients for this type of learning, there is the type where the students control a real situation remotely and situation which are simulated from real data. Ramasundaram et. al. (2006 in Holmes and Gardner) found that although these situations are useful, they are very limited as there is a lack of “actual” experience as the students are not experiencing the landscape, humidity and other key aspects. Problem based learning can be used within web 2.0 to provide the student will a problem and allow them to experiment into what would be the best option. The Classrooms of the Future project (http://www.cotf.edu/) provides a good example of this, it provides a template and according to Holmes and Gardner (2006) asks the students to:
• Read and analyse the problem scenario
• List what is known
• Develop a problem statement
• List what is needed
• List possible actions
• Analyse information
• Present findings.
Simulations and games based learning allows students to put into practice the theory therefore are very useful for learning new situations.
WebQuests were originally developed by Bernie Dodge in 1995 who says that they are used to create lessons to help students solve authentic problems and to therefore further their learning. There are many sites that now provide WebQuests however they quite often involve a fee to sign up to them. http://questgarden.com is the original site of Bernie Dodge and has thousands of quests for students to try.

Virtual Learning Environments
Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) is an environment which enables e-learning to take place. (Weller, 2007) It therefore can be referred to as “The components in which learners and tutors participate in ‘on-line’ interactions of various kinds including online learning” (JISC, 2000 in Weller, 2007) Holmes and Gardner (2006) state that in order for an e-learning environment to work there must be some form of social interaction, this may be in the form of emails or the more advanced audio and video communication. This means that a VLE may not always lead to learning however may be used as a method of communication, this would therefore seem like a good solution for coaches and athletes to communicate in this way. Weller (2007) suggests that the main functions of a VLE is for
• Content delivery – easy upload and management of content
• Text based discussion boards with attachment capability
• Online assessment
• Student tracking – ability to record a student’s progress
• Text based discussion in real time with activities such as white board and webcasting
• Student tools such as a calendar, email, personal area for the uploading of files and a note taking tool
Within a VLE there may be many more tools which are of use to the tutor or the student that may differ for each system or course. VLE’S may also include aspects of web 2.0 that this article has already looked at for instance blogs, instant messaging and podcasts. Bouras et. al (2006) stated that a good virtual learning community require “a balanced combination of technology with the human factor” therefore we should make sure that when designing an environment in which people are to learn, there should be an element of personalisation for example in blogs or podcasts.

Blended Learning
Blended learning refers to the use of both e-learning and traditional classroom learning. In order for this learning to occur students must be able to use the technology provided and face to face communication must not be lost. Driscoll (?) provides the following as examples of what some people are using blended learning for:
• Online assessments
• Sharing information about the course after it has finished
• Making reference material available
• Deliver pre-work
• Provide online office hours
• Online coaching/mentoring
• Provide aids for work
• Allow access to experts in the field
• Improve communication through email and messaging.

Linking with mobile devices
There are many mobile devices on the market that can be used to link with web 2.0. The main contenders in mobile devices are android phones and the apple range of iphones and ipod touch. All of these devices allow for applications to be used and can connect to the internet to send information to different sources. Most mobile devices come in the form of a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), this is a computer based device that involves the use of an organiser (Trinder, in kukulska-hulme) The apple store currently has thousands of applications for customers to use, some of which are free and others which range in prices. A selection of training applications were tested and it was found that they were very similar. Most of the applications involved logging data, showing example exercises with videos and providing generic training programmes. None of the applications that were looked at provided a personalised training plan in which a “serious” athlete could use. Some applications also used graphical interpretations of the data, calendars, simple logs of sessions and the possibility to link to the internet via either email, a certain site or social networks.

Another way of using mobile devices is by sending texts on updates for sites. For example social networks such as facebook offer a service where a user can be notified of a change to a profile by sending a text to a mobile phone. Users can also read, listen to or watch files and data whilst travelling and therefore using up “dead” time.
Mobile learning is an effective form of learning and can be done anywhere at any time, often without the presence of an internet connection as many mobile devices now connect to a 3G network. Rainger (in kukulska-hulme) suggests that there are 7 principles of design for mobile devices which are as follows:
• Useful and able to be used by users of different abilities
• Must be able to personalise it depending on preferences and abilities
• Simple to understand and use regardless of the user’s ability
• Effective communication of necessary material
• Minimize hazards from the user such as confirmation when deleting files
• Must be able to be used easily with not much physical or mental effort
• Good size for users to be able to use regardless of body size or mobility
Clarke (2008) believes that m-learning makes learning much more flexible as users are able to learn wherever they are and fits around the busy lifestyle of most people, he also goes on to explain that there are many benefits in m-learning such as:
• Providing administrative messages such as reminders
• Checking email
• Providing learning material whilst travelling
• Taking notes for assignments or in lectures
• Organisation
• Use of cameras for field trips

Privacy and Security
The safety of social network users is seen by Ofcom (A) as the reason why some people do not use social networking sites, this was later suggested that “while the potential risk is well documented, there appears to be a lack of research on the actual incidence of crimes such as identity theft as a result of the publication of personal details on these sites.” Lenhart and Madden found that the majority of teenagers were protecting themselves against online crimes, most by not filling out details that may allow people to find them. The problem with web security is that you need to provide a basic level of privacy without disrupting the operation of the server (Garfinkel & Spafford,1997). It is important to have good security settings and a private network, especially if children are involved under the child protection act (1989). The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre now provide advice and help on protecting children on the internet. Most existing services provide a high level of security for all users.


What does each site offer?
As there are many different websites within web 2.0 all providing different services it is important to look at what these are and the advantages and disadvantages of each service. This can then be used to identify which of the services and website will allow training plans and training logs to be incorporated in a safe yet user friendly environment.

















Table 1: The positives and negatives of different web 2.0 sites and their links