Abstract:

The pervasive nature of Web 2.0 technologies on a global scale has resulted in these technologies being readily available to society at large and more specifically to a substantial portion of modern learners. It has been proven that learning is enhanced when conducted in a collaborative environmental setting. In a collaborative learning environment, the learners are encouraged to take initiative. Dialogue and interaction are important and social skills are directly taught. Group work is an essential component of collaborative learning and the features and functionality of Web 2.0 technologies is conducive to this type of learning. According to research done it was also found that there is a sharp decline in learner boredom and the need for discipline in a collaborative learner environment.
This paper explores the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies at an undergraduate level for an introductory business-driven technology course which spans across a number of faculties at the authors tertiary education institution. These Web 2.0 technologies were selected specifically for their collaborative nature with regards to supporting group work as well as lending themselves to supporting large numbers of students as is the case in this specific course.
The technologies which have been implemented are as follows: Alice, Facebook, pbWiki and Freemind. The combination of these technologies exposes the students to the following themes: Social Networking, Green Information Technology, Online Collaboration, Programming, 3-D modeling and smart learning amongst others. Web 2.0 technologies have been specifically included to facilitate computer-supported collaborative group assignments on the afore-mentioned themes. The motivation behind the selection of these specific technologies is to enhance the learning experience at the undergraduate level.
This paper will summarise the experiences of these undergraduate students in the context of group work within a computer supported collaborative learning environment. The findings are based on a questionnaire, completed by approximately 1000 first year students of their experiences, which is grounded in collaborative learning theory.

Keywords:

computer supported collaborative work, collaborative learning, group work, web.