Web 2.0 is a term that has been around for sometime now and is one I hear being used more and more in education in particular. One of the queries I have had and have read about several times over the last few weeks has been about Web 2.0 guidelines or policies for use in a teaching and learning context.

In true RSC Wales fashion, when I was asked for some help on this I immediately turned to (a) the web and (b) my UK wide RSC colleagues. Both were very informative but also made me aware that although quite a few organisations are thinking about whether we need guidelines or policies, quite a few aren’t. Now is this because they don’t think they need them …or because they really don’t?

In many cases I think that having guidelines or policies is a good idea, with how they are written being one of the keys as to whether they are effective. I will always remember the valuable lesson I learnt when teaching … to instruct the children in what you wanted them to do, not what you didn’t want them to because you were only putting ideas into their head … so ‘please walk’, rather than ‘don’t run’ was much more effective, as was ‘remember to use start, shutdown to switch your computer off’, rather than ‘don’t just press the button to switch the computer off’.

So ‘Web 2.0 guidelines or no Web 2.0 guidelines?’ is the question I leave you with today … along with a link to the Web 2.0 technologies for learning information and resources area I have created as a result of my ponderings.

P.S. I know lots of people are now talking about Web 3.0 … but lets just stick with Web 2.0 for now, if that is OK!