USING WEB 2.0 TOOLS IN AND BEYOND THE UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS: A CASE STUDY OF EDMODO

Abstract

New internet technologies have not only transformed communication but also revolutionized teaching and learning. One of the greatest steps forward in this area was Web 2.0 technology. While Web 1.0 allowed users to read only, Web 2.0 gave them opportunities to read and write, and thereby, internet users began to create and publish content and information online. In addition, new technologies such as podcasts, social networking, and online learning communities started to shape communication between teachers and students, and these became tools for sharing educational content. This paper will examine the use of Web 2.0 tools in higher education, specifically in a case study of Edmodo. The first section of the paper provides information about the relationship between Web technologies and education, with a definition of Web 2.0 and its characteristics. The second section focuses on a case study using Edmodo as a Web 2.0 tool to teach Ottoman literature to third-year undergraduate students at Istanbul University. The main purpose of the case study is to identify and classify the purposes for which the students and teacher preferred to use Edmodo for communication and the ways in which they communicated with each other via Edmodo.