In education we have been working for the past 20 years or so under the assumption and belief that technology has the power to transform teaching and learning. It's been easy to find and highlight innovative teachers that have embraced technology and are highly successful. It hasn't been all that easy to replicate this success and we too often find classrooms not utilizing the wealth of resources they have.
Teachers often haven't had a vision for what's possible, feel they don't have time to devote to learning new skills, are under the pressure of high stakes testing, are afraid to step out of their comfort zone, and simply don't see the payoff. With Web 2.0 tools I see many more teachers catching the vision, understanding the payoff for their kids and more willing to spend time and energy acquiring new skills. These collaborative Web 2.0 tools are having a measurable impact on teaching and learning and this "23 Things" online course is a fantastic catalyst for this change.
In our Instructional Technology office we've become very comfortable with Google Docs and are using it as a way to plan meeting agendas, take shared notes during meetings and as a way to gather input form everyone on a variety of topics. It's become an extremely valuable tool for us. It has tremendous potential for the classroom but requires each user to have an email address which is a significant obstacle to over come.
Window Project to display my heirloom ornaments
13 years ago
2 comments:
I think one reason that teachers are more open to incorporating web 2.0 tools is that they are easy -- easy to access, easy to use and easy to talk about with kids. Many of these tools are ubiquitous in our students' lives outside of school. They immediately grasp how to use them in school when a teacher introduces them.
That and the fact the audience for the writing has changed. If you're putting your words out there for a larger group to see your motivation for writing completely changes.
No one wants to write simply for a grade.
Post a Comment