Introduction What is Web2.0 Coined by O'Reilly (2004), Web2.0 is beyond just a general use of any Web technologies. Instead, it refers to "accumulative changes in the ways software developers and end-users use the Web. " (Web2.0, 2010, para. 2). While history reveals the fact that humans always adapt tools to meet their needs and improve quality of life, these changes are rarely one way. These tools, in return, have great impacts on human society. Such transactional interactions shape the way we see and use technologies: new needs call for the development of technologies and new technologies foster new needs from the new users and therefore further the maturity of such systems. This is a new era that demands more than information storage and retrieval. Website users are seeking ease of use, consistent communication (i.e., giving back and forth information), and collaboration. The core concept of Web2.0 services, therefore, is a response to these socialization needs. Many Web applications provide direct services to users that share some common characters at various degrees, such as (1) ease of content creation, (2) emphasis on interaction and collaboration (3) blend of various media formats, and (4) development of virtual networking (searching and connecting). We can certainly view such World Wide Web as a web of knowledge creation. Depending on their unique features, these applications can be roughly characterized as following categories: 1. Collaboration (e.g. wiki, Google doc, and Google Wave) 2. Content creation (e.g. blog, plurk, twitter and podcast) 3. Multimedia sharing (e.g. Youtube, and flickr) 4. Social networking (e.g. Facebook, and MySpace) The Web2.0 & Learning 2.0 Although the original purpose of most Web2.0 applications are entertainment, they have received great interests in educational use due to the features in collaboration and content generation. Web2.0 has slowly but stably changed and shaped student learning. Contrasting to one-way delivery commonly found in lecture style presentation, this new technology encourages the development of a learning communication. Pedagogical considerations are directed toward individuality, group interactions, and bridging theory with reality. In sum, Web 2.0 applications have several characteristics: Collaboration, networking, blended learning and personalization of learning paths, and engagement and motivation (Ala-Mutka, Bacigalupo, Kluzer, Pascu, Punie, & Redecker, 2008). Application and Challenges Educators have explored the pedagogical use of Web2.0 applications. For example, some commonly adapted Web2.0 tools are: 1. Blog, which is commonly used to enhance students' reflection and meta-cognition. 2. Wiki, which is best known as a platform to generate knowledge in collaboration with peers. Unfortunately, in current stage, we still do not have a clear picture of how these tools impact on learning(Ala-Mutka, et al., 2008). Experiences in practices are continuously documented to establish guidelines Challenges are identified, such as the ambiguousness between formal and informal learning, the need to adjusting teachers' roles, and the controversial of student generated content. Both educators and administrators must carefully evaluate and respond to these challenges to incorporate Web 2.0 in learning enrichment. Here are some suggestions in educational use of Web 2.0: 1. Course goals, activities, and assessments should be aligned carefully with the adaptations of Web 2.0. 2. Pedagogical needs shall guide the selection of the appropriate Web2.0 technology. 3. The better to involve all stake holders to plan out the implementation, the more likely the students and instructor would benefit from the Web2.0 tools. 4. Course objective shall drive and remain the focus of the instruction design. 5. Consistent monitoring and extra prompt will prevent students from information overload. (Ala-Mutka, et al., 2008).
