Facilitating students' global perspectives: Collaborating with international partners using Web 2.0 technologies

This research was designed to explore the impact of a wiki-based international collaboration project on pre-service teachers' 1) cultural competencies, 2) comfort using technology, including Web 2.0 tools, to interact and collaborate with unknown colleagues, and 3) perceptions of ideas for using technology, including Web 2.0 tools, in their future classrooms. Survey results showed significant changes in cultural competency and perceived ideas for using technology from pre- to post-semester while interview data provided support for, and greater insights into, survey results. Furthermore, students' perceived comfort for participating in Web 2.0-based international collaborations was the best predictor of changes in cultural competency. Implications for the integration of international collaborations into on-campus courses, using Web 2.0 technologies, are discussed.

highlights
► We engaged pre-service teachers in a 5-week cross-cultural wiki collaboration.
► Significant changes observed in students' cultural competencies.
► Significant changes observed in perceived knowledge for using technology.
► Comfort collaborating via wikis predicted changes in cultural competency.
► Students express intentions to use Web 2.0 tools in future classrooms.