Web+2.0+&+Professional+Development

 In the featured movie //Up in the Air// (Reitman, 2009) lead actor George Clooney fights for his job as a person who fires people face-to-face. The company attempted to downsize in an effort to save money and planned on firing people through internet video feeds, thus alleviating the necessity of travel. Through this use of new technology, the company hoped that the experience of being fired by a person on the other side of a computer screen would be similar to that of being fired by a person in a face-to-face encounter. The idea was pushed heavily by a new employee with zero work experience, but a lot of experience utilizing various internet communications. This idea did not work, and the connection with an actual human being was lost through the attempt to replace personal interaction with interaction from a mechanized person. The failed program can be attributed to a misunderstanding for how to properly integrate Web 2.0 technologies in to work place. Perhaps, in the world of business and professional development, the confusion for the utilization of Web 2.0 technologies and the utility of Pro-am’s (Leadbeater & Miller, 2004) can best be summarized by George Clooney’s character, “I’m sorry. I don’t think a Myspace page qualifies you to rewire an entire company.” * * * * *  "To inform means to form or shape the mind or character through study,    learning, experiences, and instruction. The mind, like any computer, is    only capable of responding to the information that is in its memory. If the    information is not there, you can not draw upon it. If the information is    incorrect, then your responses will also be incorrect." Anthony T. Browder (As cited by Robinson, 2001). Web 2.0 technologies can be extremely advantageous in a business setting and in professional development when used appropriately. However, as in the aforementioned, without proper knowledge of good and bad information and a foundation for how to direct one’s own learning, an individual can be extremely misled. Whether utilized properly or improperly, the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies has no doubt effected professional development. One can attend conferences via webinar, take courses on the internet, learn skills on YouTube, and a multitude of other possibilities exist. What often times gets lost in the pursuit of learning skills and developing professionally through Web 2.0 technologies is the underlying ability of the produser (Bruns, 2007) to be a self-directed learner. One cannot help but wonder if Malcolm Knowles understood how important his idea of self-directed learning would become in the Web 2.0 world that currently consumes the globe. Knowles (1975) asserted, “It is a tragic fact that most of us only know how to be taught; we haven’t learned how to learn” (p. 14). To address this issue, Knowles laid out appropriate measures that can help learners learn and instructors teach. Mainly, Knowles pointed toward the importance of instructors to provide the tools necessary for students to learn while keeping the student in an environment which keeps all involved on a level playing field and allowing the student to develop his or her own plan for how he or she will accomplish tasks or learn. This point necessitates an understanding for what it is meant to be a self-directed learning professional in today’s Web 2.0 environment. Professional development does not begin once on the job. Rather, one should be taught how to be self-directed by instructors in both formal classroom settings and through various opportunities to interact with groups, communities, and various the tools of Web 2.0. In this way, an individual can be equipped with the ability to be a self-directed learner. In order to properly use Web 2.0 technologies for professional advancement, it is imperative that one understands how to first be a good self-directed learner. To be self-directed does not mean independent necessarily. Instead, a successful self-directed learner can be told what to learn but has the ability to find the methods, materials, and schedule for learning the desired skill on his or her own (Tobin, 2000). This climate of being taught and the learner succumbing to the power of the instructor has been questioned as of late. For example, Bruns and Humphrey’s (2007) evaluated the way in which wiki sites could be utilized by groups as learning tools. The intermixing of learning formally and informally is a key to initial and continuing professional development. The following discussion will include how initial foundations for professional development via Web 2.0 can be fostered, various technologies which enhance professional development, issues in self-directed learning and Web 2.0, and possible solutions to those problems. **Fostering Abilities** Rager (2006) observed that: For the technically astute, the organizing circumstance becomes a vast reservoir of electronically available information. Whereas learning projects were previously structured by the limited alternatives that could be found in the local environment, now vast worldwide resources are accessible. The limitation now appears to shift for those who can use the Internet to the skill of the self-directed learner in searching, locating, selecting, understanding and evaluating the seemingly endless array of resources that are electronically available (p.54). This is an important realization when trying to understand the possibilities of Web 2.0 technologies and professional development. If one does not understand how to appropriately utilize the technologies available, then the mere availability of Web 2.0 technologies is a moot point. Thus, the proper dissemination of Web 2.0 tools is imperative for the initial fostering and repertoire building of future and current professionals. As Dennen and Wieland (2007) found, “ (a) class that had a peer-like, consistent facilitative instructor and discussion anchored around questions and shared artifacts was more likely to engage in discussion leading to the negotiation of knowledge and understanding” (p. 281)” when compared with a web based discussion class that did not have a facilitator. This provided evidence that, unless prompted, unguided students merely fulfill their participatory obligations in order to receive a grade and do not seek to truly engage in discursive banter with one another. This lends itself to Knowles (1975) belief that learners should be directed towards self-directed learning as a means of fostering future self-directed learning. Learning how to be a self-directed learner can then help one who is trying to learn something for his or her own professional benefit or taking part in an activity directed by his or her employers. Additionally, the idea should be to get the student involved and participating instead of merely being told what to, for Knowles stated, “people who take the initiative in learning (proactive learners) learn more things, and learn better, than do people who sit at the feet of teachers passively waiting to be taught (reactive learners)” (p. 14). The key with fostering learning and self-directed possibilities with Web 2.0 technologies is to provide learners with the tools to learn, so said learners feel able to direct their own learning and take advantage of the professional development possibilities on the internet. **Technologies for Professional Development** The possibilities for professional development have increased exponentially since Cahoon’s (1998) assertion of the internet as “an extraordinary adult learning phenomenon” (p. 5, as cited in Rager, 2006). Both informal and more formal professional development can occur through Web 2.0 technologies. Since the advent of successful websites for online sharing began with the start of blogger.com in 1999, MySpace in 2003, Facebook in 2004, and YouTube in 2005, opportunities for online learning have continued to grow. These various websites afford employees the opportunity to be self-directed learners. In particular, a website such as YouTube allows individuals to watch videos of others explaining various information that can be useful for professional development. For the motivated, self-directed individual, the opportunities for professional development through various informal learning websites are endless. No area can the advantages of Web 2.0 technologies for the motivated, self-directed learner be witnessed more than in the area of higher education. In higher education, researchers are largely expected to be independent learners. For professional development purposes, the good researcher should be organized and able to quickly access information. Fortunately for these professionals, Web 2.0 technologies offer a tremendous amount array of websites and tools which can help the educator easily keep track of his or her materials. By utilizing websites such as Diigo or delicious, one can store all of his or her research articles and easily tag the articles for easy filing and a quick accessibility. Additionally, if one uses Google Chrome browser and is a member of the Diigo community, he or she can use the Google + Diigo option. This allows the individual to highlight any information on a particular website and use Google and Diigo to find additional information about the highlighted subject. This feature allows the person seeking professional development to seek additional sources and information extremely easily. Web 2.0 technologies allow for an array of informal education for the self-directed learner seeking to continue to grow in his or her profession. However, many people will not be self-directed and employers often times want employees to interact with one another and learn specific information. Web 2.0 technologies also allow for employer directed professional development. Figure 1: **Employer Driven Professional Development** Often times, employers have specific tasks that they want employees to learn or have an idea of what interaction they desire for their employees. When employees do not have good self-directed learning practices, employers must be more inventive when prompting extracurricular advancement. Tobin (2000) suggested that companies try to make professional development activities fun. For instance, at a South Jersey Hospital, Tobin and colleagues instituted a contest between employees to see who could come up with the best names for the seven computer terminals that would be utilized for safety CBT. The contest allowed for an added initiative to get employees to interact with the new safety protocol and also gave them the possibility of winning a gift certificate to a nice restaurant. The employees who came up with the best names also had the added benefit of seeing the terminals actually labeled with the suggested names. Furthermore, when the employees had to participate in the subsequent training, they had a generally more positive outlook towards the training than in previous years. The idea of incentivizing professional development is important for employers and can be utilized more extensively through Web 2.0 technologies. Additionally, Web 2.0 technologies can be utilized to create online communities of knowledge sharing within global companies. Usoro, Sharratt, Tsui, and Shekhar (2007) evaluated trust within an online professional community. The company the authors evaluated wanted to develop a community where knowledge sharing could happen across borders and within the global company. They found that trust had a lot to do with the structure and knowledge sharing within the company web community sphere. This indicates the importance of corporate interaction when hoping to provide professional development through Web 2.0 tools. If utilized properly, employees have an incredible amount of resources to utilize for both formal and informal professional development, and companies should take advantage of the opportunity to provide professional development opportunities to employees. **Discussion and Conclusion** Rager (2006) noted: According to Wilson (2000), “The hype exceeds the reality, and will probably continue to do so for a while” (p. 80). An examination of its role in regard to self-directed learning and the organizing circumstance must acknowledge the presence of issues such the technology gap, difficulties surrounding Internet skills acquisition, the problem of information overload, and the lack of quality controls in terms of Internet content (p. 55). As technology continues to develop, some will be left behind. The digital divide is something real that inhibits the ability of some to keep up with others. Schools really need to push self-directed learning and Web 2.0 technology from a young age. As a source of corporate social responsibility and future growth, it could be important for corporations to supply less fortunate individuals with the tools needed to compete with those who may have the monetary ability to utilize Web 2.0 technologies. Also, as previously noted, it is important that people learn what is good information and what is bad information. On a daily basis, individuals are privy to false information on the web. It is important for those interacting on the internet to know what is reliable and what is not. Misinformation can be worse than no information and should be monitored closely. Moving forward, it is important that individuals and corporations take every opportunity to utilize Web 2.0 technologies for professional development.
 * Web 2.0 and Professional Development**

Bruns, A. (2007) Produsage: Towards a broader framework for user-led content creation. //Paper presented at Creativity & Cognition conference//, Washington D.C.     Bruns, A. & Humphreys, S. (2007). Building Collaborative Capacities in Learners: The M/Cyclopedia Project, Revisited. //Proceedings of the the International Symposium on Wikis//. Dennen, V. & Wielend, K. (2007). From Interaction to Intersubjectivity: Facilitating online group discourse processes. //Distance Education, 28//(3), 281-297. Knowles, M. (1975). //Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers//. Chicago: Association Press. Leadbetter, C. & Miller, P. (2004) The Pro-Am revolution: How enthusiasts are changing our economy and society. London: Demos. Available at [] Rager, K. (2006). The organizing circumstance revisited: Opportunities and challenges posed by the influence of the internet. //International Journal of Self-Directed Learning, 3//, 52-60. Reitman, J. (Producer), & Reitman, J. (Director) (2009). //Up in the Air//. United States: Paramount. Robinson, L. (2001). Education Does Matter: We have lost our way because of the lack of knowledge of one's self. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Register. Available at [] Tobin, D. (2000). All learning is self-directed: How oranizations can support and encourage independent learning. Baltimore, Maryland: Victor Graphics Inc. Usoro, A., Sharratt, M.W., Tsui, E. and Shekhar, S. (2007) Trust as an antecedent to knowledge sharing in virtual communities of practice. //Knowledge Management Research and Practice//, //5//, 199–212.
 * References**