Thing #5

Thing #5 addresses the questions, What is Web 2.0?  And, what does this mean for schools of the future?  Big questions in two little phrases.

Perusing the various Web 2.0 informational websites I certainly learned a lot more than I ever expected to know about the Internet, how it works and how it is changing.  The Wikipedia – Web 2.0 article is incredibly informative, providing history and various views on Web 2.0 and its differences from Web 1.0.  However much the scientist in me wants to take Wikipedia information with one skeptically raised eyebrow, this article seemed well-informed and scholarly in its presentation.  It certainly helped a novice like me feel better about the information I was seeing outlining key characteristics of Web 2.0.  I loved reading the 50 Web 2.0 Tools Every Teacher Should Know About and jotted down the url’s to the sites I thought might be useful in the classroom.  One website I saw, Go Animate (goanimate.com), is a free online tool allowing users to create their own animation videos.  Seeing this, my mind immediately thought of using this as a tool for students to create their own videos of the cell cycle, mitosis or meiosis.  I think that would be a much more fun way to learn these cycles than drawing each and every step, which is how I learned it.  The other sites spoke a lot towards how technology is changing and will continue to change the classroom and how we teach.  The Horizons Report had a staggering statistic, reporting that “In the U.S. alone, 61% of Americans age 12 and up own a mobile device, and 44% specifically own a smartphone.”  I think this implies that most of our students will have their own smartphones or tablets that can be readily utilized in the classroom for learning.

So what is Web 2.0?  I thought the Wikipedia article put it most succinctly calling it “Web-as-Participation.”  When in its youth, the Internet followed a “Web-as-Information” M.O. and information was searched similar to the way one would look up something in an encyclopedia.  It was already stated and you merely read it.  With the emergence of Web 2.0 information is not merely read, it is shared, changed (Wikipedia for example), and critiqued by millions of online users.  Information is not static anymore, it is infinitely linked to other websites that are linked to even more new websites, and before you know it you are asking yourself, “How did I end up on this page?”  That is the beauty of Web 2.0.  Information is words, music, and videos all shared on the same page or blog.  The hallmark of Web 2.0 is social networking.  Whether this is through sites like Facebook and LinkedIn or by personal creation in the use of blogs, social networking has created an Internet where people are actively involved in the lives of others all across the globe. 

As a teacher, I love the possibilities Web 2.0 technology offers me and my students.  I think what I like most about it is the creativity it allows me to incorporate into the average lesson plan.  I know that not every student that walks in my door is going to find science as fascinating as I do, but I can sure try my hardest to show you why I find it so fascinating.  How?  Technology.  Videos, animations, high resolution photos of macro- and microscopic organism are all tools that are now available to enhance lessons.  Smartboards and new education software can make lessons more interactive and the housekeeping tasks of teaching easier.  Greater still are the interactive capabilities of Web 2.0.  I think, slowly but surely, schools are headed towards classrooms where students are using their own smart devices.  The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to class is very neat and the number of apps teachers and students can use to enhance lessons and learning are growing every day. The more I learn about, the more ideas I come up with integrating these technologies into my future classroom.

But, I am curious.  In what ways does learning about Web 2.0 - the resource websites, apps, etc. - inspire you?  Does it inspire you?