Writing about web 2.0
All my devoted readers will be glad to know that I am making progress on my article on classroom implementation ideas for Web 2.0 technologies. It's coming slowly, but I hope to have it out by June 15. Speaking of the passage of time, I just came across this article today on cnn.com that references the development of web 3.0. It's a bit stunning to me that these ideas of semantic searching are coming true so quickly. But, it's an exciting time to be working in this area because this technology may bring some significant changes.
I keep looking back though and thinking about how little movies, radio, TV, computers, and the Internet have affected public schooling. Can Web 2.0 or now 3.0 really be any different? If so, how can we make it be different.
Larry Cuban writes about technology and school reform. I think this is a fascinating overlap of research interests. Perhaps the problem with many educational technology movements is that they have not been tied to "real" school reform. If teachers who are using traditional means simply put their content online, they only have online worksheets. That's not a change in pedagogy, just a change of format. Though I firmly believe in the power of technology to improve schooling, it just won't happen until the structure and infrastructures of schools change.