Isn’t it amazing how much Web 2.0 technologies and the innovations and availability of hardware have changed our world in just a few short years? Teachers must change and be able to effectively employ these new tools and strategies, or our children will not be prepared for life in the 21st century in which they will live.
To reference Steve Hargadon’s retelling of the Jewish folktale, the children who learn in isolation at the lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy and forced to endure memorization and incessant testing with minimal use of Web 2.0 technologies and opportunities to foster their creativity will be those relegated to hell, unable to feed themselves. In contrast, students given opportunities to flourish in environments that promote creativity and who learn at the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy while being afforded opportunities to collaborate will be those residing in heaven. What would you want for your child? When we became educators, didn’t we know that as our world changed we would have to change with it? Isn’t it our job to be at the top of the learning curve?
The ability to communicate and collaborate is more critical now that ever in the history of our society. To build these skills, students must have opportunities to develop communication and collaborative skills through their classroom experiences. They will need the guidance, leadership, and support of their teachers to acquire and develop these skills through the use of current hardware and Web 2.0 applications. As Carol McAnear states in her article, Communication and Collaboration 2.0,
students must not only know how to create digital media, but they must also understand its effect on themselves and society. Are you preparing your students for success in our rapidly changing world?
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