Web 2.0 Technologies and the Spirit of Online Learning

There are many definitions of learning, all reflecting the academic specialties from which the study is conducted: 1. the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, beliefs, emotions, senses, etc.; 2. the sum total of the process of acquiring knowledge, skills etc, e.g., a learned person; and 3. sometimes, wrongly used as a synonym for education, e.g., adult learning. Significantly, learning is replacing the term education in the educational vocabulary. However, active learning is defined as methods by which learners actively participate in the learning process (e.g., discussion groups, problem-solving, experimentation, and the like). It is differentiated from passive learning in which learners are led by the nose. It is widely believed that active learning may lead to the creation of new knowledge and new skills needed by learners. Because of this belief in active learning, both educators and practitioners have been avidly promoting active learning online since Web 2.0 Technologies were used for online teaching and learning.