Steve Hargadon started this weird space called Classroom 2.0 last year. I was one of the early adopters and I was pretty critical of it. Still am. His view of it is as a kind of “gateway drug” to get teachers hooked on the internet as a communications medium. His flagship – Classroom 2.0 – has been much more successful than many of the other attempts at linking teachers with technology …
Infinite Thinking Machine
The twist here, of course, is that Classroom 2.0 is a network for teachers (yes, adults, those sometimes called “digital immigrants!) who are interested in the use of Web 2.0 in the classroom and who are using the site for personal professional development. The ability to have productive, engaging dialog with others in a community is a natural fit for all ages in education.
Personally, having thrown the first handgrenade into the chicken coop back in March of 2007, I’m actually really pleased to see that the place is still there. I’m still not sure of the utility of it. Many people find it useful and engaging. I find it mostly maddening. The thread on Voki is a good example. What I do appreciate is that the space has done a good job of at least introducing people to the notion that they CAN belong to a network and that the network can have value to them. My own iconoclastic perceptions of that network aside, I think the old chestnut about the only bad publicity being no publicity has some validity here. Getting teachers to use the technology and gain practice in it can only help. If last semester’s mantra was “Think like a learner” then this semester’s might well be “Learn to learn with it before you try to teach with it.”
The point to my posting here is the list of “web 2.0″ resources at the bottom of this post. You might find something relevant — and while you’re looking this list over — consider that a large number of them are less than a year old.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:17 PM
I understand what you mean with this Voki thing. I can see what they are trying to do with this and try to provide students with some opportunities to be creative and use technology, but how exactly does it help out with learning?
January 17th, 2008 at 12:17 AM
If somebody like Dr. Lowell describes this web 2.0 as “maddening”, then what would the average “Joe” think about it? This really is a clash of culture and technology in education. People are either going to love it or hate it.
January 17th, 2008 at 11:05 PM
Because I needed a refresher, I looked up Web 2.0 on wikipedia and here is a quote:
“Web 2.0 is a knowledge-oriented environment where human interactions generate content that is published, managed and used through network applications in a service-oriented architecture.
I agree that this is “maddening” just because of the pace that it on, I went to a conference this past fall and they were talking about Web 3.0 and where 4.0 is going to be…sometimes I feel as though I am hanging on by the skin of my teeth to the latest technology. I wish time could stand still sometimes so I could catch up!
January 18th, 2008 at 12:35 AM
What I find “maddening” is not the environment but the rather closed loop thinking that goes on IN it.
I’m actually a member of several — maybe a dozen — of these and some of them are really interesting and engaging.
January 20th, 2008 at 2:11 PM
There needs to be more structure to it. Adults don’t do good with exploring. That’s why a lot of adults won’t try new technology.
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:34 AM
Well, I explored the Classroom 2.0 and went and joined and created a Voki at their advertised website. I have been trying to see what’s up with some of these uses of technology. I do think a Voki could perhaps aide with instruction for students who need to hear instructions. As far as the website….that is on my “up all night” list of things to explore.