Effectiveness of teaching through web 2.0 tools on learning achievement of students of class ix in physics

Abstract

According to Daniels (2002) ICTs have become within a very short time, one of the basic building blocks of modem society. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of lCT as part of the core of education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy. However, there appears to be a misconception that ICTs generally refers to 'computers and computing related activities'. This is fortunately not the case, although computers and their application playa significant role in modem information management, other technologies and/or systems also comprise of the phenomenon that is commonly regarded as ICTs. Pelgrum and Law (2003) state that near the end of the 1980s, the term 'computers' was replaced by 'IT' (information technology) signifying a shift of focus from computing technology to the capacity to store and retrieve information. This was followed by the introduction of the term 'ICT' (information and communication technology) around 1992, when e-mail started to become available to the general public (Pelgrum, W.J., Law, N., 2003). According to a United Nations report (1999) ICTs cover Internet service provision, telecommunications equipment and services, information technology equipment and services, media and broadcasting, libraries and documentation centres, commercial information providers, network-based information services, and other related information and communication activities. According to UNESCO (2002) information and communication technology (lCT) may be regarded as the combination of 'Informatics technology' with other related technology, specifically communication technology. The various kinds of ICT products available and having relevance to education, such as teleconferencing, email, audio conferencing, television lessons, radio broadcasts, interactive radio counselling, interactive voice response system, audiocassettes and CD ROMs etc have been used in education for different purposes (Sharma, 2003; Sanyal, 2001; Bhattacharya .~ .. and Sharma, 2007) .. 1 The field of education has been affected by lCTs, which have undoubtedly affected teaching, learning, and research. A great deal of research has proven the benefits to the quality of education (AI-Ansari, 2006). lCTs have the potential to innovate, accelerate, enrich, and deepen skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create economic viability for tomorrow's workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping schools change. As Jhurree (2005) states much has been said and reported about the impact of technology, especially computers in education. Initially computers were used to teach computer programming but the development of the microprocessor in the early 1970s saw the introduction of affordable microcomputers into schools at a rapid rate. Computers and applications of technology became more pervasive in society which led to a concern about the need for computing skills in everyday life. Hepp, Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein (2004) claim in their paper "Technology in Schools: Education, ICT and the Knowledge Society" that lCTs have been utilized in education ever since their inception, but they have not always been massively present. Although at that time computers have not been fully integrated in the learning of traditional subject matter, the commonly accepted rhetoric that education systems would need to prepare citizens for lifelong learning in an information society boosted interest in ICTs. Today's world is a world of technology and education is not indifferent to it. We always tell our teachers to use ICT in education. Use ofICT in education depends on availability of hardware/software and the knowledge of using these hardware/ software. It can be said that the first part related to infrastructure is beginning to reach to the schools due to intervention of SSA and ICT@ schools project. However, there is a need to concentrate on second part related to effective use of ICT in education. There are many situations encountered by a teacher while performing her task, the solutions of which can be found by the effective use of ICT in education. Take for example a rural biology teacher. She will have no problems telling her students what's and how's of agriculture. But the same topic may seem an uphill task for a teacher in an urban school, but for the aid of ICT. ICT has revolutionised education like never before. And with that it has made it simpler for students to understand, but more complex for a teacher used to the traditional chalk-and-talk teacher. Furthermore, teachers have often been provided with inadequate training for this task. Many approaches to teachers' professional development offer a one size-fits-all approach to technology integration when, in fact, teachers operate in diverse contexts of teaching and learning. 2 Faced with these challenges, how can teachers integrate technology into their teaching? An approach is needed that treats teaching as an interaction between what teachers know and how they apply what they know in the unique circumstances or contexts within their classrooms. There is no "one best way" to integrate technology into curriculum. Rather, integration efforts should be creatively designed or structured for particular subject matter ideas in specific classroom contexts. Honouring the idea, that teaching with technology is a complex, ill-structured task; it is proposed that understanding approaches to successful technology integration requires educators to develop new ways of comprehending and accommodating this complexity. At the heart of good teaching with technology are three core components: content, pedagogy, and technology, plus the relationships among and between them. These three knowledge bases (content, pedagogy, and technology) form the core of the technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TP ACK) framework. An overview of the framework is provided in the following section, though more detailed descriptions may be found elsewhere (e.g., Koehler, 2008; Mishra & Koehler, 2006). This perspective is consistent with that of other researchers and approaches that have attempted to extend Shulman's idea of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to include educational technology. The latest Avatar in the field of education is the Web 2.0. Web 2.0 refers to a perceived second generation of web-based applications and services and in particular the use of the web as a platform for user-generated co_ntent and web-based communities, including particularly social networking, wikis and folksonomies (O'Reilly, 2005). Students communicate daily by texting and posting on Facebook pages and other social media avenues to stay in touch with friends. Teachers can help students make the connections between their recreational writing and the kinds of writing they need to become successful beyond the classroom. There is no doubt that the Web 2.0 changed and transformed access to information and communication. It provides user-created content platform applications allowing users to contribute their knowledge in different formats like text, data, video and audio. This term was also developed and associated with other terms like Library 2.0, Learning 2.0, etc. These terms reflect the implementation of Web 2.0 in different domains. Garcia et al. (2009) noted that Web 2.0 has the potential for universities in developing new models of interaction and new forms of exciting education.