Everything 2.0
It's interesting that several recent comments reference other 2.0 movements - health 2.0, sewing 2.0, etc. Though this designation of a newer version of software is not new, it seems to be an emerging trend that it is used in reference to other aspects of life. What would life 2.0 be? How can we, as educators, help develop the students 2.0 that are in our classrooms.
If we continue to teach in 1.0 ways, how will that resonate with our students. However, I wonder if we change our teaching to relate to all things 2.0, what will the effects be upon students with various styles of learning. A recent graduate student mentioned how much she enjoyed having a professor be an authority figure and be in charge of the knowledge and of the class. This is in contrast to some others who believe that teachers should function more as guides rather than authoritative givers of knowledge.
I have mixed feelings about this. Though I think that education constantly needs to change to keep with with technology, the digital divide is still real and in ways is becoming harder to cross. Students who did not have the Internet at home 10 years ago were at a disadvantage as compared to their peers. I believe this disadvantage is greater today with an increasing amount of school work assuming access to computers and the Internet.
Comments
Giving something the name "2.0" obviously indicates that it is a new and updated version, and that the old (1.0) version is therefore out of date and obsolete. But this also implies that there will eventually be a 3.0 and a 4.0, and that we should constantly evaluate and seek to improve our surroundings.
Posted by: Laura | January 30, 2008 4:31 PM
I really liked our discussion last week where we talked about how students know how to get to information faster, but not what to do with it. If we can enable the students to better disseminate the information they find would that bring us closer without actually narrowing the gap.
Posted by: maggie | January 30, 2008 4:33 PM
Though I do not believe a professor needs to be an authority figure, an educator should be an authority on the subject they are teaching. A history teacher should probably know history as a math teacher needs to understand how to apply equations and solve problems.
Posted by: Gerry | January 30, 2008 4:36 PM
How can a teacher effectively teach and be an authority in his subject if he is not an authority in general?
Posted by: Asuka Aki | June 20, 2008 11:25 PM