WHAT HINDERS TEACHERS FROM EMBRACING WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION?

Thanks to the emergence and proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies in the past few years, 21st century students are no longer confined to traditional learning modes. In fact, in addition to classroom-based education, students have recourse to these online communities not only for social interaction, but for learning purposes as well. Nevertheless, despite the educational benefits of Web 2.0 technologies, many teachers are still reluctant in incorporating them in education settings. The objective of this article is, thus, to identify the reasons that lie behind this reluctance. The findings of the research study we conducted among higher education faculty members revealed that there are a number of stumbling blocks that seem to hinder the incorporation of these web-based tools in education. The obstacles that have been identified by the respondents include the absence of a reliable ICT infrastructure and the lack of technical support, the enormous time and efforts needed to integrate these online platforms in teaching, the belief that Web 2.0 technologies distract students from learning and the fear that these tools can blur the line between students and teachers.