Reflection on Vicki Davis Blog Post

Potential Use of Web 2.0 in Education – My Views

As I immerse myself into this course, reading, and exploring the potential and benefits of web 2.0 in the classroom and in the future of education.  I am captivated by all of what I have seen, read, and discovered, and still unraveling as to the potential of catering to our students learning via web 2.0.  And, I am amazed at what there is and what I expect to come!

Vicki’s post was very interesting.  I thought it was a great strategy how she integrated cell phone technology in her classroom.  From her post it was evident that the students were involved, engaged, motivated and learning.  Vicki  has used web 2.0  and cell phones to equip her students with skills, not just for her classroom, but skills that will be beneficial to them in the future – college and eventually their career.  Thus, I want to share this video with you all, not just Vicki's vision but, also a global vision for our learners: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjJg9NfTXos

And I ask myself the question: What is the reason for education? What are we preparing students for daily? Aren’t we supposed to prepare them to function in the world? As Vicki pointed out in her post and I quote: “These tools are becoming ubiquitous, unblockable, and virtually unstoppable and there is really no excuse for saying they are unusable in the classroom” Vicki Davis (2008).

 The students were learning to Jott, use google calendar and their igoogle account from their cellphones. I thought about it, and it was simple, these students were gaining organizational skills and how to manage their daily tasks through web 2.0 on their cell phones.   

I was excited and motivated at how bold she was to get her principal to see her vision and enthusiasm to allow her to  let her students to use cell phone , knowing that schools today BAN the use of cell phones in school.   Her principal should be commended. I would want to shake his hand for being a person of vision who supported her and endorsed her suggestions and aspirations.

The students we teach today are “digital natives” as Medley and Mabrito stated in their article “Why Professor Johnny Can’t Read”. They are N-Gen learners and we as teachers need to cater to their learning styles, just as Vicki saw it fitting to do in her classroom. They were able to create and consume, (prosumers).

I am also optimistic that other educators and administrators will be motivated by what she has done. They can now explore ways where they can positively and creatively use web 2.0 technologies in classroom.

               

  We as teachers can all reflect on a particular quote from Will Richardson’s blog “School as a video game”   “What if teachers give up the vestiges of their educational past, threw away the worksheets, burn the canon and reconfigured the foundation upon which a century of learning has been built? What if we blurred the lines between academic subjects and reimagined the typical American classroom so that at least in theory, it came to resemble a typical American living room or a child’s bedroom or even a child’s pocket circa 2010, - if in other words, the slipstream of broadband and always – 0n technology that fuel our world became the source and organizing principle of our children’s learning? What if, instead of seeing school the way we’ve known it, we saw it for what our children might dreamed it to be: a big, delicious video game? 

I support this piont as we need to move away from how we were taught and venture into a new approach to teaching these kids who were born and are growing up with pervasive digital technology.

I am learning and has joined the "education blogosphere." My views have certainly changed. I am now in the category of prosumers and am very proud of it.  My blogs have helped me to reflect on what I am doing and what changes I can make in the future. From reading other educational blogs, I have certainly learned a lot. I have been exposed to what stategies have worked for other educators. I am able to share what has proved beneficial for me.  My fellow colleagues can share their comments with me, thus giving me feedback. Which is vital.

My school and my first grade team will be one of the pilot schools for a Gateway Program in the School District.  The future is bright for my first graders as we will be venturing into the use of web 2.0 in the classroom. The first graders at my school will be using skype to communicated with students from other countries.

This video concludes the point of my reflection:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPO_HGafBsE