Thing 5

I like to think of Web 2.0 as more of expanding the opportunities of the internet rather than replacing the original product, an overlay instead of starting over. Cultural walls have been torn down to some extent, and the internet has responded to a more complex society, one in which people need a more effective means of meeting everyday needs. On-line banking, comparison shopping, paying bills - how often do you avail yourself of these internet services at midnight or 5 am? Are facebook or MySpace part of your routine in order to stay in touch with family members with whom you are geographically separated? Even your own teenagers may find the social connection of these internet applications quite comfortable, allowing a different dimension to your own parent/child relationship.

The internet has opened a virtually limitless opportunity for information on any subject the mind can formulate. Doubting Thomases can confirm or shoot down what they learned in a classroom, and as a result, it is imperative that instruction contain thorough and factual information. Not only do schools need to assign projects that involve the internet, they also need to instruct on how to use the tools that are available. How can that be done unless students are actively participating in the instruction? From my own experience, if someone tells me what to do I can do it then, but I may not remember it for the next time. I can write it down so I have something for future reference, but if I do it I remember the experience. Technology and all that it implies needs to be incorporated into the classroom, whether face-to-face or virtual, giving access to every student the opportunity to investigate according to his or her own interest and potential.

To me, School 2.0 means building upon the foundation of where we have been. I am not one for radical change, but more improving the existing format. What works? Where does it fall short? How can money be spent in the most effective way possible, without losing sight of the overall goal - that of providing the best education to prepare the next generation for life in the society they will enter as adults? In order to accomplish those tasks, teacher education will need to evolve to incorporate the technological advances; school systems will need to evaluate the resources they provide to students; money for education will need more than lip service. If we plan to make upcoming generations competitive in a global society, education will need to be a priority, and I don't refer just to academics. Psychological and emotional well-being is equally important when considering achievement.