A Web 2.0‐based collaborative model for multicultural education

Abstract

Purpose

Web 2.0 is a collaborative web development platform that has had tremendous usage in building effective, interactive, and collaborative virtual societies at home and abroad. Multicultural study is another trend that has tremendous possibilities to help people in the fight against racism and enables them to become active members of a democratic society. Based on the advanced and interactive features, Web 2.0 technologies could be appropriate media to build many virtual collaborative societies among students in local and global classrooms. Students and teachers from any corner of the world would be able to participate in such virtual communities to practice effective multicultural skills with no or minimum cost. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual framework of a Web 2.0 model. This paper focuses the background of Web 2.0 technologies and multiculturalism and a feasibility study of using Web 2.0 technologies in the teaching and learning of multiculturalism, and depicts a conceptual framework involving use of a Web 2.0‐based collaborative model for a multicultural classroom using one of the simple but powerful Web 2.0 tools, blogging technology.

Findings

Web 2.0 technologies could be crucial tools for students, teachers, educators and social workers to build and participate in many virtual collaborative societies to practice effective skills of multiculturalism.

Social implications

Participants from different corners of the world are able to participate in virtual communities simultaneously to practice effective multiculturalism.

Originality/value

This is a newly developed model.

Citation

Hossain, M. and Aydin, H. (2011), "A Web 2.0‐based collaborative model for multicultural education", Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 116-128. https://doi.org/10.1108/17504971111142655