Thing # 5

Having reviewed the articles on Web 2.0 a few things come to mind to share. The biggest thing that came to me was the fact that the classroom is no longer one dimensional. The creation, introduction and evolution of the World Wide Web are forever changing all of our lives. As educators, we must stay abreast of this technology in order to lead our students into the newest learning environments. One article, “Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators” by Susan McLester hinted at this when pointing out that it’s “second nature to kids”. With that in mind, school 2.0 means that teaching will no longer be consist of simple lectures. Teachers, parents, and the community must look towards technology as a means of imparting knowledge into the minds of our children. Blogging about historical events, tweeting math homework questions, and podcasting the lessons of the day are all ways to grow the classroom into a community style venue. Schools of the future will be built with technology integrated into its makeup. Smartboards will be standard; internet access will be available to all students and teachers alike. Children will be able to participate in classroom discussions where classes from throughout the world are linked together via the Web. Teachers will integrate families into the class by simultaneously conducting lesson plans with students using skype, VTC, or the latest video software. Anything is possible for the classrooms of tomorrow, provided we are willing to step up and make the necessary decisions to bring it all together.