Web 2.0 Apps: Equalizers or Alienators in Higher Education?

Web 2.0 refers to Web technologies that aim to enhance creativity, collaboration and information sharing. When used appropriately, these technologies such as wikis, blogs, podcasts, social bookmarking services, and media depositories can readily promote closer web-based communities and social interaction without much of a learning curve, or increased investment in resources. Studies on technology adoption have classified technology users at different levels; on one extreme are the early adopters, and on the other, the laggards. While the characteristics of Web 2.0 applications can be formidable assets to anytime, anywhere learning, one wonders if their availability and ease of use has had a significant reduction in the number of those who would normally be considered technology laggards in higher education. In other words, has the rate of technology adoption changed among laggards as a result of the onslaught of Web 2.0?

Are some instructors missing the opportunity to move online learning (or learning in general) forward by failing to adopt Web 2.0 technologies? Naturally, instructors who have been generally less likely to adopt technology in their classes may still need a little nudging regardless of the ease in use of a technology. A proactive role of faculty development would be to demonstrate, with concrete examples, how Web 2.0 technologies can enhance teaching and learning. Furthermore, an emphasis on the capacity of such technologies to improve human contact and interaction might just earn them the role of the "great equalizers" when it comes to technology adoption in higher education.