From this lesson, I have learnt
the basic concepts of web 2.0 tools and its uses.
Web 2.0 is another term for social
media which are indeed powerful tools that can be used to share information and
knowledge with other people online, communicate more effectively as well as
collaborating online. For instance documents, photos, etc can be shared online
and made them accessible to a wide community.
Moreover, social media allows
users to Connect with other people via social networks. We can connect with
people having same interests and objectives as us despite being geographically
distributed. In this way, there is the possibility to create joint action and
collaboration.
In addition, some of those social
tools have the rating and commenting features that allow us to indicate if web
content was useful or accurate for us. We can also re-use content from sites,
change the content and make it in our own way.
My personal experience as a participant in the web 2.0 Learning Workshop
The Awareness of web 2.0 tools:
Through this workshop, I had the opportunity to come across a wide range of web 2.0 tools that were indeed new discoveries to me....For instance, advanced google search, wikis, RSS feeds, igoogle, google alerts as well as blogging were all new to me...
The trainers explained to us the basics of web 2.0 tools and got the chance to learn those magic tools hands-on with practical examples...Had an enriching experience in getting acquainted with those tools. Learnt a lot of new things, however to enjoy them more, practicing them regularly is a crucial factor....
The Importance of web 2.0 tools:
As we progressed with the workshop, I found the real importance of web 2.0 tools. For example, the use of RSS Feeds is a tool whereby information of interest to us come to us directly (via google alerts or igoogle) without going to specific website each time. This saves us a lot of time!!!!
Moreover, I became aware that the use of web 2.0 tools such as blogging itself can be used to share ideas and also in the dissemination of information. As for the VOIP, it is an interesting tool whereby we can collaborate remotely using skype for instance to work on projects, etc...We also got the opportunity to learn other tools such as google docs and wikis which are equally important in remote collaboration without having to meet individuals physically. I also found those web 2.0 tools to be very sustainable in a way. For example, by using them it saves paper, energy, costs and all....
The Application of web 2.0 tools:
Having got the opportunity to learn the web 2.0 tools, we must definitely apply it in our daily lives, else it would have been a waste of time to come to this workshop...For example, we can use some of those tools at our workplace. Like for instance, if my manager ask me to prepare a newsletter for my organisation, i can simply create it on a google doc which will enable me to share it instantly with him as well as other staffs of the organisation and furthermore have their views and comments on its progress so that i can improve the newsletter rapidly. I can say that work will be done very rapidly if one starts using web 2.0 tools!!!!
In addition, having learnt the magic of skype, I can organise skype meetings with colleagues and team members if we are working on similar projects. Furthemore, working with the farming community, field inspection are regularly done to solve farmer's problems and in this context, skype meeting can also be organised to a group of farmers to complement the field visit in order to discuss on additional issues. These are few examples of how we can use the web 2.0 tools at our workplace. Indeed there are numerous ways how we can apply those tools everyday!
Suggestion:
I suggest that those web 2.0 tools must be made accessible to a wider population so that they can also learn about such tools.
Below is a short video on web 2.0 tools for beginners like me...:)
We are currently in the workshop of the Web 2.0
Learning workshop organized by the Technical Centre for agricultural and
Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), in collaboration with the Faculty of
Agriculture (FOA-University of Mauritius) and the Food and Agricultural
Council (FARC).
This opportunity is very useful since we are able to have training on the importance of using web 2.0 tools and also got the opportunity to have hands-on experiences.
