1 CORRELATE COLLEGE STUDENTS’ LEARNING STYLES AND HOW THEY USE WEB 2.0 APPLICTIONS FOR LEARNING Wenhao David Huang Department of Human Resource Education University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign wdhuang@uiuc.edu Sun Joo Yoo Department of Human Resource Education University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Yoo23@uiuc.edu Jeong-Hwan Choi Department of Human Resource Education University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Jchoi52@uiuc.edu Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between learning styles and technology acceptance of Web 2.0 applications among college students. 108 individuals voluntarily participated the study in Spring 2008. The survey consisted of 144 items drawn from Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) and selected categories from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The results indicated certain descriptive statistical relationship as well as significant correlations between different learning styles (Concrete-Random, Abstract-Random, Concrete-Sequential, Abstract-Sequential) and the level of technology acceptance on six Web 2.0 applications (Blog, WIKI, online social community/Facebook, online video sharing/YouTube, online video&audio conference/Skype, social virtual environment/Second Life). The limitation of the study includes small sample size and direct and indirect factors influencing participants’ reporting such as limi ted technical infrastructure. Future studies are needed to further cultivate the empirical relationship between learning styles and Web 2.0 technology utilization level in different contexts. INTRODUCTION Today college students use Web 2.0 applications more frequently than checking their university-issued email accounts. Applications such as blog, instant messenger, WIKI, video sharing tool, and web conferencing tool are gaining popularity. Students use them to create their own content on the web, contribute and collaborate with others, and develop social network via multiple formats of media and representation (O’Reilly, 2005). These activities suggest the possibility of using Web 2.0 applications for instructional purposes and that raises the question of whether or not students can efficiently utilize the same Web 2.0 tools for learning (Huang & Behara, 2007). Even though students already use a variety of Web 2.0 applications on daily basis, they may not know how to use them efficiently for gaining new knowledge or developing new skills. For educator interested in using Web 2.0 applications they also need more empirical evidence to help them integrate Web 2.0 tools in their instructional environments. Therefore this study was designed to address those issues as an effort to promote the utilization of Web 2.0 applications to enhance learning experiences. Specifically we were interested in how students’ learning styles influence their utilization of Web 2.0 tools in the context of learning since understanding learning styles is an important first step for educators to design and develop any efficient learning environment (Curry & Marshall, 1987; Federico, 2000). This study intended to answer the following questions:  Do students with different learning styles prefer different Web 2.0 applications?  Are there different attitudes towards using Web 2.0 applications based on their learning styles?  What is the empirical relationship between learning styles and utilizations of Web 2.0 applications?