Thing #5

Web 2.0 means read/write web, so I think that School 2.0 means how teachers will integrate technology in to their lessons in which reading and writing is concerned. As for the future, the computer will replace some of the most common paper and pencil tasks.

I really enjoyed reading the article, "New Literacies: Enrichment or Essential?" I especially liked the section about Digital Storytelling. In many ways teachers have to be entertainers. Teachers have to compete with the thrill students gain from watching televison and playing video games. There is no reason why learning can't be fun and technology is the way to do it. I don't feel like everything should be digital. I feel like parents and teachers should still read a story aloud to his or her students. But a child is more likely going to remember creating their own digital narrative than a paragraph they had to write about a story or a picture they drew. We should give our students the opportunity to explore their creativity. Sure digital storytelling is a longer process, but students can learn that the harder they work and the more time they put in to their project, the better the result will be.

I also read Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators. I was excited to see that I have learned how to do 2 of the 3 things listed under Tools that Drive Personal Learning Environments, which is how to create a blog and podcast. I will most definitely be using podcasts in some way in my classroom. Student's will get to hear themselves read out loud and get to be creative with it at the same time. Technology can be an amazing tool in your classroom as long as you know how to use it for efficient learning and your activities are structered.