Thing 1 - Shifts Happen!

I feel comfortable being able to make the statement that Web 2.0 has found its way into almost every classroom, if it is only a slight presence that currently resides there.  I am still young for a teacher, so it was not that long ago I was in school.  Teaching practices have changed drastically since the short time I was the student, which helps me to make the statement that Web 2.0 must be in almost every classroom.  I remember sitting in math class waiting impatiently for the teacher to write the problems out from her piece of paper to the overhead projector.   I then had to copy quickly it down before she erased it and wrote the next problem.  Today I have seen math teachers incorporate the problems into PowerPoint with moving animations that show the multiple steps.  At the end of the presentation, there are tutorial videos linked to help those students who are still struggling.  The teacher even posts the presentation to her update website the students check nightly.  Web 2.0 is making its presence known within the classroom.

In my classroom, I am not anywhere near the caliber of David Warlick’s article “A Day in the Life of Web 2.0.”  However, I do incorporate some Web 2.0 in my teaching.  I have a class website where my students check for upcoming due dates, notes, and major assignments.  I use interactive websites and videos in my lessons.  I communicate with students and parents through email and posts on my website.  Warlick’s article is an amazing utopia of Web 2.0, but I know that I am not sure I am ready for that yet… It sounds wonderful and somewhere I would love to teach, but as of right now, I know that I am not at that point and most of the teachers I work with are not there either.  There are a few teachers who I think will fall perfectly into that situation and it is something I would love to partake in, but it also makes me very nervous.  I am not in the stage of comfort with Web 2.0 to be able to give my students the teaching environment they deserve according to Warlick’s article.  I hope that by the end of this class, I will be ready to tackle the world, but right now, I am only ready to tackle the readings and learn as much as I can! :)

Even in my scared realm of chicken-ness, I do believe that Web 2.0 holds great power in helping students learn the content and actually be excited to do so.  Students like to learn new things that interest them and a good portion of them are interested by new and exciting technology.  Web 2.0 lends itself towards creating an engaging classroom where students are excited to be there and not plotting their next “sick” day.  I have always been fascinated with the idea of student blogs and websites.  Allowing students to create their own space while following the parameters of the assignment sounds freeing for the students where it allows them to explore their creative selves.  When I was in school, I always looked forward to the creative assignments, even if the creative aspect was small.  A blog could allow students to complete the assignment while still having a unique space and a unique voice in a world that can sometimes squash the timid. 

Warlick’s article really did depict a perfect use of Web 2.0 tools in a school.  That is going to be the school of the future and from there even more changes will occur, because things are changing in a rapid fashion.  It is difficult to keep up with the changes and constantly stay abreast with all the new additions to Web 2.0, but then things will forever change.  There will constantly be some new method for teaching or theory for adolescent behavior.  Change is the way of the world, but it is how people accept those changes that matter.  Having an open mind and trying not to keep up with every new item but focusing on the few that are realistic is how Web 2.0 is going to take over the classroom, lending Warlick’s article to go from idea for the future to the present.  There will always be shifts in ideas, but really matters how those shifts are embraced.