I remember when Web 1.0 was considered the end-all, be-all of sharing information. Instead of waiting for the morning paper to arrive, you could log on to your computer and read all the day’s headlines. Now it’s hard to imagine being unable to post a comment regarding an article or reply to a blog post. Web 2.0 is making it easier for students and teachers to share ideas and information.
Take an experience I had in high school as an example. I vividly remember the day my history teacher was trying to teach the class about the Cuban Missile Crisis. I don’t remember if there was a big game that night or a big party that weekend, but no one was interested in paying attention. Fed up, my teacher told us to all get out and “figure out what happened at the Bay of Pigs on your own.” In those days, we didn’t have Google or Bing, and I had to find out about the Bay of Pigs the old fashioned way—by reading a couple books in the library. At the next class, the teacher gave us a pop quiz that consisted of all but two questions. That was the extent of my history lesson on the Bay of Pigs.
I probably would know a lot more about the Bay of Pigs if my teacher had taken a different approach, and started a dialogue on a blog or required students to create Podcast about what they learned about the Cuban Missile Crisis. That’s the key distinction between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0—the learner can chose the content he or she wants to read, hear, or watch and then comment or post on what he/she thinks. Because Web 2.0 is focused on the learner, not the teacher, it is a much more powerful tool for education.
This has not been lost on colleges and universities. “By 2019, it is estimated that 50% of all classes taught will be delivered online” (Revolutionizing Education, 2012). I’m fortunate that 100% of the classes required for my masters at Fresno Pacific University are online. As much as I like Fresno, my commute would be terrible.
References
How the internet is revolutionizing education. (2012, November 22). Retrieved from http://edtechtimes.com/2012/11/22/how-the-internet-is-revolutionizing-education-infographic/
Take an experience I had in high school as an example. I vividly remember the day my history teacher was trying to teach the class about the Cuban Missile Crisis. I don’t remember if there was a big game that night or a big party that weekend, but no one was interested in paying attention. Fed up, my teacher told us to all get out and “figure out what happened at the Bay of Pigs on your own.” In those days, we didn’t have Google or Bing, and I had to find out about the Bay of Pigs the old fashioned way—by reading a couple books in the library. At the next class, the teacher gave us a pop quiz that consisted of all but two questions. That was the extent of my history lesson on the Bay of Pigs.
I probably would know a lot more about the Bay of Pigs if my teacher had taken a different approach, and started a dialogue on a blog or required students to create Podcast about what they learned about the Cuban Missile Crisis. That’s the key distinction between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0—the learner can chose the content he or she wants to read, hear, or watch and then comment or post on what he/she thinks. Because Web 2.0 is focused on the learner, not the teacher, it is a much more powerful tool for education.
This has not been lost on colleges and universities. “By 2019, it is estimated that 50% of all classes taught will be delivered online” (Revolutionizing Education, 2012). I’m fortunate that 100% of the classes required for my masters at Fresno Pacific University are online. As much as I like Fresno, my commute would be terrible.
References
How the internet is revolutionizing education. (2012, November 22). Retrieved from http://edtechtimes.com/2012/11/22/how-the-internet-is-revolutionizing-education-infographic/