E-Learning 2.0: Social Software for Educational Use

This paper focuses on the degree of penetration of web2.0 or social software in the educational field. First, the concepts web2.0, social software and e-learning 2.0 are discussed, the term ´social software´ is defined, and the strengths of social software are presented. Secondly, a survey was conducted with 355 students and 163 instructors in order to examine to what extent social software is used and which purposes it serves. Our first results show that ´searching information´ and ´communicating´ seem to be the two main activities the internet is used for, both for instructors and students.