[Reprint] Pedagogical Lessons from Students’ Participation in Web 2.0

Tin T. Dang; Margaret Robertson

Authors

Tin T. Dang La Trobe University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0371-4530
Margaret Robertson La Trobe University

Keywords:

learning engagement, online participation, TESOL, Web 2.0

Abstract

Responses of Vietnamese undergraduate students majoring in English to the integration of a Moodle site during an upper intermediate macro-skill course highlight differences in learner autonomy and expectations. Students’ general attitudes towards, and participation in, this online Web 2.0 environment provide the basis for the research reported in this paper. Qualitative data from individual interviews ranged from neutral to very positive. The data also identified three patterns of online participation: task-oriented, content-oriented and community-oriented. These patterns reflect a transition in the local students’ learning expectations and behaviours towards controlling their learning processes and socialising activities in their formal learning. The paper concludes with a number of pedagogical suggestions for the process of technology integration in education in the local context. These are aimed at better engagement of students in the process of personalising online learning environments to suit their needs.

Author Biographies

Tin T. Dang, La Trobe University

Tin T. Dang is an ESL teacher/lecturer in Vietnam. After returning from the University of Queensland in mid-2005, he started to work as an academic manager in SEAMEO Regional Training Center and was involved in different projects and initiatives regarding ICT in education. He is currently working towards his PhD at La Trobe University. His research interests include learner autonomy and CALL.
Margaret Robertson, La Trobe University

Margaret Robertson is Professor in Education and Associate Dean, Research in the Faculty of Education at La Trobe University. She is widely published in books and journals, with extensive international expertise in teaching and research project management. Her career-long interests in quality learning environments for young people are linked with an enduring passion for geographical and sustainable education and knowing more about visual and spatial literacies.

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