Web 2.0 Web 2.0 Web 2.0 Web 2.0 Web 2.0 Web 2.0 Web 2.0 Web 2.0 Web 2.0
I find myself using this phrase more and more these days.
Sometimes it is merely a written short-cut. But more than that, it is an indicator of 'attitude' rather than 'technology' that is in my opinion not only re-shaping the way that people interact with technology and the world around them.
I also believe it's an indicator of what is being re-defined within the classroom, within the life of the student, and within the greater world of education.
To that end, I recommend that you go to Tim O'Reilly's article entitled "What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software."
What to look for (and in blue, I'll make some quick connections to education, learning, schools, etc.):
- The brainstorming of examples from the first generation (Web 1.0) of Internet technology and use...vs...the growing Web 2.0 counter-examples.
- The Web 2.0 Meme Map which offers some wonderful sets of principles includings:
- "An attitude, not a technology" -- Schools as 'buying-agents' and teachers as mentors in the learning process are overwhelmed by the issues of hardware/software, professional development & training, maintenance, security, etc. This is in essence a Web 1.0 reaction. The change that is afoot suggests that the 'tools' in the classroom have more to do with a changing of attitude -- what they are used for, what they allow, what they prevent, and how they are integrated -- than an issue of it's 'physical presence.'
- Trust your users -- I've always felt there was a difference between loving or liking kids...and truly trusting them. The past approach to schools and education had little if nothing to do with 'trust', certainly not trusting the student/learner to do anything above and beyond memorization, and even that was littered with mistrust. The future of education will have less and less to do with this model and more and more to do with truly trusting the students. Why? Because the model will shift from teacher and school being the 'expert' to being a mentor in a customized learning experience, and the student will become less the passive receiver of information and more and more the 'decision-maker' with regards to information research/choices. Not only does the Web 2.0 technologies require trust, but soon...so will education.
- Play -- I'll be the first to say that Mark Prensky may not be the best suited to offer changes to the greater world of education, since he comes from outside that realm. But, I will also say that his understanding of 'digital natives' and the true power of gaming technologies/experiences means that he needs to be taken very seriously in terms of adding 'play' to the core of modern education. As he suggests time and time again, 'play' is not an obstacle to education; it is the absolute requirement for the future of learning if schools are to remain relevant to the future generations of learners. Why? Because play is about problem solving and imagination and wanting to get better and seeking skills to do that...and about collaboration and competition and partnerships and teams and working beyond your own ego.
- Rich User Experience -- Schools did not start out having to offer 'rich user experiences' when they became compulsory, and they certainly weren't that prior to the masses having access. Education was in many ways painful...and unapologetically so. The development of the child wasn't even really considered until the early 1900's, and then only a few 'progressive' educators (Dewey, et al) were in a position to argue for it. It wasn't until the last few years that Gardner's 'multiple intelligence' theories were even added to the mix, or Goleman's 'emotional intelligence' concept either, both of which began to suggest that if the learning process didn't at least recognize that each student learns differently, then something critical would be lost. Now, as technology pushes the envelope and more and more schools are looking at experiential education, inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, etc, there is a growing awareness that the experience better be 'rich' or the learner isn't going to pay attention. Education, essentially, is about engagement...and the sooner than schools grasp this, the faster students will receive the education they deserve.
- Small Places Loosely Joined -- There are too many connections to this one but I'll simply echo the efforts of the "small schools" initiatives (or "schools within schools") throughout the US and beyond. But, in one more direction, this also suggests that the 'school' of the future won't be a single building or campus, but a 'loosely joined' network of places, both real and virtual, that students will use throughout their learning process, throughtout their day, throughout each project.
- Emergent: User behavior not predetermined -- As more and more software programs begin to imbed the idea of 'choice' where users need to follow through on decisions, rather than simple 'multiple choice' questions focused on scoring, there is a wonderful opportunity ahead for students to be offered the same. Case study or scenario-driven problem sets are a very quick starting point. Add to that a sophisticated and 'interactive' experience, where the behavior and reaction of the user is not guaranteed or predictable, and use that data to help the user/learner/student reflect upon their choices and what they learned...and 'wow!' Furthermore, allow it to be less and less about the 'answer' and more and more about the 'emerging' conversation as a process of discovery...and 'wow' again!
- The perpetual beta -- Now, the founder and 'owner' of Wikopedia will not say that a student should rely on the information in his 'document', but the numbers of teachers, researchers, professors, and 'real users of information' in the world who are beginning to see Wikopedia as the #1 source of dictionary-like information is growing larger and larger each day. What is so wonderful about this merger of 'fact' and the 'perpetual beta' (it keeps on improving through the collaborative efforts of users) is the way that it mirrors how people really learn and how people research and how people make decisions. Now, imagine if school assignments were seen as 'perpetual betas' with on-going assessments based upon decisions and goals, rather than static with single answers that have no customized bearing on the student. Imagine...
- The idea of "Harnessing Collective Intelligence" -- This one is almost too much of a beauty to comment on re: the classroom and the future of learning. I'll simply allow the rest of you to see it for what it's worth...and go where it leads you.
While nobody is compelled to become an 'expert' on Web 2.0. Heck, most are still looking askew at the addition of blogging and podcasting in the classroom. But, when you stop getting caught up in the 'what is it?' and the names/semantics...and simply look at the underlying principles...I am dumbfounded (in a good way) by the brilliant horizon line of where education may one day head if it begins to adopt the underlying 'attitudes' of the Web 2.0 culture.
Just a thought.
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