Thing 2
“A Day in the Life of Web 2.0” seems a utopia, rather than the near-reality it is. To think that a student could integrate technology into every part of their school day, collaborating with classmates and teachers constantly in an effort to produce a well-oiled machine, is an awesome vision. While technology can sometimes be viewed as a tool for the lazy, or even a replacement for human interaction, it’s not what it used to be. The internet no longer isolates people, but connects them, bringing people from across the world to the house next door.
Unfortunately, this web 2.0 vision is still unrealized in almost every school across America. Public schools are chronically underfunded, and most private schools have yet to reach this level of funding. However, when the day does come that this level of technology can be realized in schools, it will be a tool used for the betterment of education and the start of a new era of learning.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I agree with you that it’s almost a utopia, and I think it’s because of the things you addressed in the last paragraph. Not only are schools underfunded, but most teachers look at technology as a threat, or as a “frill.” They watch a demonstration of some of the cool things available to us now, and then they go. “Hmmm.. Nice…” And they return to their blackboards (or I guess whiteboards today), their photocopied worksheets, and their lectures. Sigh.
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
Wow…I totally agree with your perspective on the use of such technology in the classrooms. Currently, my students are still learning how to search for information appropriately on The Web and incorporate such into their learning. From there, we will work (albeit very slowly) on how they can also contribute to the knowledge that is out there. That hardest part in all of this involves the time required…and the funding that you mentioned. Does this come under the “In an Ideal World” heading?