Thing #2: Thoughts About Web 2.0

After watching the posted videos, it is OBVIOUS that every educator in our nation needs to not only be familiar with Web 2.0 tools but also needs to utilize them in the classroom in order to fully educate the 21st century learners that fill our schools. "A Vision of K-12 Students Today" was especially powerful in relaying this message. I understand the resistance that some teachers feel toward this shift because this is not the way that most of us were taught. But as the Hebrew proverb says, "Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time." The "time" that our children are born in is one of rapid change and growth, and students must be equipped with the skills that it will take to navigate this world that is saturated with information. Like it or not, the times they are a changin' (so said Bob Dylan) and we (teachers) have to change with them.

Web 2.0 tools such as podcasts, blogs, and wikis offer dynamic ways for kids to share the information that they learn, and I can't imagine an educator thinking this is a bad idea. Why ask a kid to write a research essay on notebook paper when he/she can publish it as a podcast and share it with the world? Why ask a kid to keep a journal when he/she can keep a blog? Why give a kid a study guide for a test when he/she can create a class wiki? Why would a teacher NOT want to offer these tools to kids? I am excited about learning more about these tools so that I can be a more effective librarian. These tools will not only benefit my students, but they will also benefit me as a learner. I realize that these tools will link me to tremendous resources and information that will make me a better educator. I can't wait to learn more!