In defence of digital difference: a critical perspective on the curricular challenges of web 2.0

Abstract

The (in)formal learning potential of web 2.0 technologies has prompted much excitement amongst the education community. Particular attention has been given to the apparent need for technology-led reconfigurations of curriculum and pedagogy that emphasise action, interaction and collaboration involving communities of learners – the so-called ‘curriculum 2.0’ debate. Yet whilst encompassing many important issues, these discussions tend to be based upon idealised and often partial accounts of web 2.0 and education. This paper aims to redress some of the gaps in current articulations of ‘curriculum 2.0’ by offering a critical account of the complex and often compromised realities of learners’ actual web 2.0 uses and non-uses. In particular, the paper contests four popular educational assumptions of web 2.0 use, namely: the active creation of knowledge; the abundance of communal, collaborative learning activity; learner affinity, interest and demand; and the benefits derived from an informalisation of learning practices. The paper concludes by arguing for the development of more socially focussed debate around web 2.0 uses in education. In particular it is argued that more attention should be given to the structures, boundaries and limitations of web 2.0 use that underlie any illusion of enhanced freedom and empowerment of the individual learner.