Reflecting Pools

This summer I have stretched, groaned, celebrated, and learned an incredible amount about applying Web 2.0 tools well in professional growth and in working with my students. I’ve always wanted to challenge my students to think deeply and to learn how to learn, not just regurgitate facts they’ll forget by next week.

Anyone who has taught for the last ten years knows that today’s students really do learn and approach communication differently than their teachers typically do. Not only can this cause a gap in student-teacher interfacing, but it also can cause students to feel that “old style” pedagogy just isn’t relevant to them.

Fortunately, it’s never too late to learn something new, exciting, and really relevant-and that especially means using technology to engage and challenge learners. The Web 2.0 world of the 21^st century learner is fast paced, interactive, and potentially overwhelming if you don’t understand how to organize, evaluate, and deal creatively with the mass of information. Furthermore, the opportunity that Web 2.0 gives to create images, conceptual organizers, presentations, videos, collaborative documents and projects, wikis, podcasts, and more is staggering.

Teachers who model and teach their students to be responsible and considerate Web 2.0 users and creators will help equip those students for their future careers. As important as skills may be, though, it is the discussion of ethics and of mutual respect and computer etiquette that will help today’s students become the leaders needed for tomorrow.

I’ve learned so much this summer that it’s hard to pick only two top discoveries, but I’ll try. First, Delicious and tags are revolutionizing how I collect and search for resources. I don’t know which I love more-a way to access and organize my favorite sites from any computer, the ability to locate information quickly, or the ability to beg my friends to share their Delicious lists!

In terms of planning the year for my students, we will collaboratively create wiki pages to show comprehension and learning, present images, documents, and music from historic periods, embed student-made presentations and videos which answer open-ended essential questions, and extend learning through an assortment of student-created activities. Brainstorming, collaborative creation, negotiation, team work, deeper critical thinking–well, it sounds like student-centered learning to me!

I find, though, that I’ve changed this summer in a way other than simply learning how to apply 2.0 tools in education. I think I’ve become more deliberate and confident in my considerations of instructional technology.

Yesterday I surprised myself. A friend sent me an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education (think university professors), and I made a comment (#13). Me…7th grade teacher of English and honors American history. I weighed words with PhDs, and I felt confident.

Not arrogant. Oh no! I don’t know even part of everything and I never will–especially at the rate that the world of 2.0 is changing! No, I simply felt that I had a voice, and that my thoughts were valid and a part of a whole picture.

Isn’t that what we hope to raise our students to see–not one or two memorized trees, but the whole forest of possibilities?

Filed under: Learning K12 2.0 and tagged collaboration, computer ethics, Delicious, essential questions, generation gap, instructional technology, open-ended questions, tags, web 2.0, wiki