Thing Five

What does web/school 2.0 mean to me? Well, from what I perused, it means paper and pencil is so 2000 and late :) the statement I read that got my attention came from New Literacies: 57% of all students, in 2006, said they were already content creators. This means that more than half of our students were contributing to a wiki in 2006. The percentage is bound to be greater now. They say the best way to learn is by doing, therefore becoming a "content creator" has got to be an excellent way for students to expand their knowledge base and become better writers.

What does this mean for schools of the future? I think it means teachers at the high school level, and possibly 7th and 8th grade levels, will become more like facilitators of learning, guiding students in the right direction and giving corrective feedback. Of course, this can't happen unless our students have access to current and plentiful technology in the classroom. Teacher training will need to change as well. A good example of this is the class Dr. Slayden-McMahan at APSU teaches regarding science and social studies instruction. Her material includes 100 webquests for students at the middle school level.

Finally, state and federal governments will find it necessary to reconsider the way they measure success in the classroom. Standardized testing has it's place, but it should not only measure content knowledge. Assessments should also measure the ability of the student to synthesize and analyze information. The world is changing and our expectations and outcomes must change as well.