EMPOWERING BUSINESS STUDENTS Using Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

This paper discusses the design of a course to empower business students using Web 2.0 technologies. We explore the learning phenomenon as a way to bring forward a process of continuous improvement supported by social software. We develop a framework to assess the infrastructure against expectations of skill proficiency using Web 2.0 tools which must emerge as a result of registering in an introductory business information and communication technologies (ICT) course in a business school of a Canadian university. We use Friedman's (2007) thesis that the "world is flat" to discuss issues of globalization and the role of ICT. Students registered in the course are familiar with some of the tools we introduce and use in the course. The students are members of Facebook or MySpace, regularly check YouTube, and use Wikipedia in their studies. They use these tools to socialize. We broaden the students' horizons and explore the potential business benefits of such tools and empower the students to use Web 2.0 technologies within a business context.