title: Available, intuitive and free! Building e-learning modules using web 2.0 services.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  E-learning is part of the mainstream in medical education and often provides the most efficient and effective means of engaging learners in a particular topic. However, translating design and content ideas into a useable product can be technically challenging, especially in the absence of information technology (IT) support. There is little published literature on the use of web 2.0 services to build e-learning activities.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the web 2.0 tools and solutions employed to build the GP Synergy evidence-based medicine and critical appraisal online course.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used and integrated a number of free web 2.0 services including: Prezi, a web-based presentation platform; YouTube, a video sharing service; Google Docs, a online document platform; Tiny.cc, a URL shortening service; and Wordpress, a blogging platform.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The course consisting of five multimedia-rich, tutorial-like modules was built without IT specialist assistance or specialised software. The web 2.0 services used were free. The course can be accessed with a modern web browser.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Modern web 2.0 services remove many of the technical barriers for creating and sharing content on the internet. When used synergistically, these services can be a flexible and low-cost platform for building e-learning activities. They were a pragmatic solution in our context.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The University of New South Wales, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. m.tam@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Chun Wah Michael
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eastwood
mesh_terms: D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000193:education; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education*; D020407:Internet; D009517:New South Wales; D014584:User-Computer Interface