Hello, all. It's week 3 of blogging and I'd like to introduce an article, Educational Networking: The important role Web 2.0 will play in education, by Steve Hargadon. I realize the author is selling a product (a new platform his company is offering), but I still think it was a good read...especially for a newbie to the formal definition of web 2.0 like myself. Hargadon explains Web 2.0 as follows:
"Web 2.0 has moved the Internet from our traditional one-way information flow to a two-way conversation in which the 3 R's have been supplanted by the 3 C's: Contributing, Collaborating, Creating - through mediums like blogs, wikis, and twittering."
Hargadon uses the term educational networking, which is social networking in the context of education. Hargadon says "Web 2.0 plays to the strengths of educators - curiosity and love of learning - by opening the doors to collaboration and participation". So that is what I'd like to focus on in this blog. We realize that Web 2.0 technology has already changed the lives of students, as it's how they now approach technology and learning (even if banned in the schools), but what about the educators? There is a real need - and opportunity - for educators to use what Hargadon calls "educational networking" (I might prefer the term social networking) to learn about the technology themselves and collaborate among a large network. In order to teach something, you have to first understand it, correct? Same can go with using new technologies and I think it's a great idea for educators to use Web 2.0 for professional development and collaboration. Does anybody have experience with this? What are your thoughts? BTW, Hargadon says LearnCentral is free - so anybody use it?
Reference:
Hargadon, Steve. Educational Networking: The Important Role Web 2.0 Will Play in Education.
Hi Sue:
ReplyDelete(1). No, unfortunately, I do not have any experience using Web 2.0 applications/technologies for professional development and collaboration.
(2). No, I have not used LearnCentral; however, I did go to the website: http://www.learncentral.org/ to check out some of the resources and read some of the AC discussions taking place in the various Forums. I read some of the comments made about learning styles as well as the learning/teaching needs of today's youth. Overall, I would say it is an interesting website.
~Aja
Aja,
ReplyDeleteI just took a bit of time to look at LearnCentral and I found it interesting as well. It has forums, resources, groups, and events, including webinars. One upcoming webinar is called "How to Lead Your School in a Digital World as part of the Leading Digitally, the Admin 2.0 Series. This is offered by the Association of California School Administrators so seems credible to me.
Thanks,Sue