SUPPORTTING TEACHERS INTEGRATING WEB 2.0 IN A PROBLEM BASED LEARNING APPROACH

This article try to illustrate a design model or method supporting teachers in their learning design trying to integrate web 2.0 technologies into the Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach at Aalborg University (AAU). Taking departure in PBL as a theoretical approach for learning and with a focus on participant control and a more learner-centred approach as used at AAU, I will argue that it makes good sense to connect web 2.0 with a problem-based approach to learning. There seems to be a transition from 'users/learners as consumers' towards 'users/learners as producers', which also vey well relate to the problem-based learning approach as to be elaborated. At AAU we have further developed the PBL approach Problem oriented project based learning (POPBL) under inspiration of PBL. It was implemented as a framework for learning when Aalborg University was established in the beginning of the 1970's. Due to the possibilities in suing web 2.0 applications or services it makes it interesting to look upon a learning design model supporting teachers at AAU in their pedagogical design combining the PBL approach and web 2.0. A question then arise; "How can we support the teachers in making a "new" learning design combining PBL and web 2.0?" I have chosen to get inspiration from The Collaborative E-learning Design (CoED) method. The method supports the design process of practitioners and has been developed and tried out in a number of different settings. Drawing on knowledge and theoretical concepts within the fields of design, systems development and collaborative learning, emphasis is on bringing focus and structure to the early stages of the design process. Further the method aims to develop design specifications and/or early prototypes within few hours of work, and as of importance to support the collaboration between different types of experts and practitioners. I hope that further developing this method will lead to a pedagogical design method supporting teacher in their design for learning taking into account the PBL approach and integration of web 2.0-technologies, which is to be tried out at the Faculty of Social Science during autumn 2010.