what shall we do with web2.0?

this was the final presentation in the set of 4, and it took most of the 15 minutes allocated to read the full title: "what shall we do with web 2.0? does a digital divide between the intention of creators and the practice of users, promote creativity in learning and teaching?"

the remainder of the session was actually quite thought provoking and looked at the hefce funded kubis project at kingston. kubispace is apparently a "web 2.0 social networking learning environment...built as an alternative to more traditional vles". there were some very odd statements made during the presentation, and the quite hackneyed "vles=bad, web-2.0=saviour of the universe" comparison - so, for example, there was the assertion that vles meant that all academics really had to attend training to understand vles, and had to go through a technologist gatekeeper to create and upload materials (erm...) whereas web 2.0 applications were intuitive and *everyone* could use them (except during the training for using kubispace, not everyone managed to do complicated things like set up wikis...). so they didn't need training, but they gave them training anyway. and then realised that not everyone knew how to do everything, but it's still intuitive, right?.

it seemed as though it was more of a critique of the training model (ie, enrol a peer group onto the platform, and let them explore and learn from each other with guidance, and without students being present, as opposed to attending a 2-hour training session) rather than the platform itself? there was quite an entertaining moment when someone in the audience mentioned they'd struggled with staff confidence, and were there any tips for overcoming this? the presenter asked "have you tried letting staff explore without students in there, to make it less threatenting?". when the response was "yes", she then quickly said "well, you should get the students in there". well, good then.

but on to the thought provoking parts, a few issues that i'd be interested in your views on:

• are you a different person in social networking sites to who you are f2f or in online discussions?
• would you adopt a different persona as a tutor in a web 2.0 environment to the persona you'd adopt in a more traditional vle?
• if web 2.0 environments do reconstitute what it means to be a tutor, what does this mean for the traditional boundaries of the university?

answers on a postcard...