Things #5 (Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with Strings)

Web 2.0 blows my mind! I have had a hard time learning all the differences of the web (If there is a 2.0 then what is 1.0?) and how it is changing. I have gone and looked at more than just the resources given in the discovery to better understand what web 2.0 is. My husband has been a great resource because he knows how to "Barney-Big Bird” everything for me easily, so I try and learn from his knowledge and expertise in the field of technology.

From my understanding Web 2.0 is everything interactive from social networking sites to blogs, to being able to edit sites (Wikipedia) on your own for the world to see. Web 2.0 is for dummies! (I don’t mean it how it sounds) Even I, a teacher, can make posts, edit content, and create things on the web without having to know how to "write code."

I found Wikipedia and Tech&Learning to be the best informational sites. Wikipedia has much to say about Web 2.0 and has further tags for more information on more in-depth subjects. Tech&Learning was able to break down more information about how Web 2.0 is changing schools to be “school 2.0”
School 2.0 is more about changing the way teachers are currently teaching. It is to create students who think outside the box. Where I disagree is with the statements that home and community to should be more included. Where I work parents are more than welcome to come in a volunteer in classrooms. There is also a PTO. While there are a few parents that help when there are special occasions there is still a lack between teachers and parents. Sometimes it seems that parents just want to drop their kids off and not be responsible for anything between 8-3pm. Now please understand I know this is not true for everyone. I believe that where school 2.0 can begin to change this is to begin to keep parents more informed about the classroom. I also would like to see more resources for parents to know how to help their student learn (remember they are not the educator) or information on where to find the resources. For many schools, moving to 2.0 means being paperless, for others it means STEM programs or to have more collaborative teaching.  Either way you look at it, teaching is changing. The basics are staying to same (Let’s be honest, I don’t see the ABC’s changing anytime soon) but how we approach is evolving. I don’t see this happening very fast. The biggest hurdle is know that we have been taught inside the “box” and now you are asking people who have been teaching inside the “box” to change how they were taught and now teaching to something that you have very little proof will work. I also see it very hard to change lower elementary grades. I have watched children learn on a smart board but then not be able to complete the same task with manipulatives. Children have to learn to be able to do it both ways as they grow to be able to completely engrain the task.

In my search for school 2.0 resources I found this picture. 

I believe it really does describe what educators are going through. I would like to know how other educators feel about this idea. Does it make a teacher more excited or more scared to know that not only is the information we are teaching (so much for the 3Rs) changing but the concepts on how to teach is also changing. How can we be ready for the next generation?