Why Web 2.0?
David Warlick has a posting today that really prompted me to write...
These new technologies are fantastic, with loads of potential, but lately I've had doubts and I've wondered whether teachers will adopt these new tools and why-with their incredibly tight schedules-they would want to or feel compelled to jump into the learning curve that is necessary.
Well, David hit on a point that is hard to argue with. While curriculum seemed to stand still for quite some time-books seemed to maintain things in a static way with their unchanging typed text. But as David points out, this world is changing rapidly-if you keep up with technology you know how fast this is...
Clearly the only source that changes fast enough to keep up is the internet. I had the thought that I don't buy books much anymore, but that's not true. However, I think there's another idea evolving here that I WOULD (and DO) buy books for "vintage" text, classic fiction, etc. but for ANY contemporary information I would be foolish to look to bound text. Like a new way of parsing out information and the forms that it takes. Books - which I love - have a role to play, but they don't fulfuill all the needs that learners have at this point in time.
Anyway, this seems to me a very good point as to why teachers might/should feel compelled to wade into all this newness. Even with all the demands on their time, I really know very few teachers who are willing to pass poor, old information to their students. So to accomplish their essential goal, teachers and schools need to move to the internet for content. Anything less just won't get the job done.
These new technologies are fantastic, with loads of potential, but lately I've had doubts and I've wondered whether teachers will adopt these new tools and why-with their incredibly tight schedules-they would want to or feel compelled to jump into the learning curve that is necessary.
Well, David hit on a point that is hard to argue with. While curriculum seemed to stand still for quite some time-books seemed to maintain things in a static way with their unchanging typed text. But as David points out, this world is changing rapidly-if you keep up with technology you know how fast this is...
Clearly the only source that changes fast enough to keep up is the internet. I had the thought that I don't buy books much anymore, but that's not true. However, I think there's another idea evolving here that I WOULD (and DO) buy books for "vintage" text, classic fiction, etc. but for ANY contemporary information I would be foolish to look to bound text. Like a new way of parsing out information and the forms that it takes. Books - which I love - have a role to play, but they don't fulfuill all the needs that learners have at this point in time.
Anyway, this seems to me a very good point as to why teachers might/should feel compelled to wade into all this newness. Even with all the demands on their time, I really know very few teachers who are willing to pass poor, old information to their students. So to accomplish their essential goal, teachers and schools need to move to the internet for content. Anything less just won't get the job done.
posted by Cabinnyc at Tuesday, April 04, 2006
1 comments
