Thing #05

50 Web 2.0 Tools and the Future of Education

The world is changing, and that is a reality that educators need to face.  Information is no longer locked away in books collecting dust in the local library or within the brains of teachers who must hold all the answers since they tell students what is important.  Access is granted to all.  When Steve Hargadon states that Web 2.0 is the future of education, it is no outlandish statement but rather is the reality.  Therefore, these tools cannot be ignored as students will not.  Instead, educators must adopt this ever-advancing technology and utilize it; otherwise, students will brush off what teachers say and discover it on their own.

The "50 Web 2.0 Tools" is a phenomenal source for finding specific aids that fit within your particular area.  I would love to implement ToonDoo into my teaching.  Allowing students to take a written text and transfer it into a comic strip form would be a great way to encourage higher-order thinking.  Students would have freedom to be creative, and they can make something that is personal.  Children need several opportunities to participate, which takes me to Steve Hargadon's article.

One of the biggest points Hargadon presents is how everything is becoming participative.  With social networking, people are commenting, sharing, liking, and posting everything.  If a student has to come to class and watch a lecture, opportunities to respond and participate are being limited.  More discovery and self-learning is becoming necessary as people seek to be a part, and educators need to allow for this participation.

School 2.0

The reality that must be faced is the need for School 2.0.  Students cannot go from a life of complete interaction to a classroom of minimal participation.  I have witnessed many classes where the participation from students is so poor that I swear I hear crickets in the room.  This idea of an interactive classroom needs to be presented and encouraged by the teacher.  School 2.0 seeks to fix this through the use of Web 2.0 tools that are more familiar to students than William Shakespeare's Hamlet (an unfortunate reality English teachers need to face).  These types of tools will certainly become a part of schools in the future, and more training and courses for aspiring educators in regards to Web 2.0 tools will need to be offered and required.  When considering the best way to teach children, building connections, utilizing technology, and relating to prior knowledge are all key elements to interact successfully with students.