A New Endeavor…

Some of you might be saying, “there was a Web 1.0?” I said it, too, so admit it. Web 1.0 focused on using the web in a receptive way — viewers pretty much just read articles, web pages, and the like. But today, with the incredible explosion of web-based applications, the web has become read/write. It begs for participation from the viewer — to comment on ideas, to interact with what is on screen, to share with others. This is the Web 2.0. This is the Web 2.0 transforming education.My interest is how we as educators can harness these new emerging technologies. I’m talking blogging, podcasting, wikis, RSS feeds, social networks, open source software, online web applications and more. Additionally, I am interested in finding some in building professionals who want to learn with me via this blog. I know, I know. To many blog is a “four letter word” – I have to admit that, before I knew much about it, I had my preconceived ideas. I now know that they have immense educational potential. They’re not just diaries or journal entries. Blogs are an online way to communicate ideas and collaborate on these ideas with others who have your same interests and to be challenged by those who see it differently. We get so little opportunity to really do this even though we park our cars in the same lots each morning. So, it is my hopes of stepping forward, to be progressive in my teaching using new web technologies and inviting other interested colleagues to join me. But we can’t teach students to blog, to use wikis, to use RSS feeds, unless we do it ourselves.