Thing #5 Web 2.0 & future of education

It was really interesting to learn about just some of the Web 2.0 tools that are available to teachers.  I bookmarked the Discovery Education website for Web 2.0 tools.  It has a lot of tools and apps that I can use when I am a biology teacher.  I also the looked at the "50 Web 2.0 tools every teacher should know about."  I registered with a few of the tools that were free online.  A few of the tools I chose were Prezi, SchoolTube, Quia Web, and Quora.  Tools and websites such as these are what I consider to be School 2.0.  School 2.0 is learning  that takes place when some piece of interactive technology is involved.  If there ever was a School 1.0 I would consider it the traditional "chalk and talk" (later PowerPoint and lecture) method employed by so many teachers. To me School 2.0 is the classroom equivalent to the information age in American society and economics.  Our students are following suit with changing times and so should classroom methodologies.  Students today think in  terms of digital media.  They want things faster and preferably in a format that fits in the palm of their hand.  A thick textbook that a student has to lug around is now longer the most effective form of transferring or sharing information.     

What does all this mean for schools of the future?  It means that schools better be ready to hit the update and refresh buttons regularly.  Schools of the future are going to be centered around technology.  Instead of teachers saying, "Students! Please take out your textbooks and turn to page...," they will be saying, "Students! Please take out your iPads and log onto...."  It also means that student can be in many classrooms at one time.  Classrooms Dallas, TX will be linked to ones in Knoxville, TN, New York. NY, Kissi, Kenya, or Melbourne, Australia.  Pod-casts, blogs, and streaming video will link classrooms across the country and globe.  Just think, students will be able to collaborate with other students on projects half the world away.  They will be able to share ideas they had on various topics and assignments, helping each other to learn and succeed.  Thanks to Web 2.0 and thus School 2.0 the future of education is going to be as exciting as it will be interesting.