I agree with the statement that there must be “opportunities to engage and develop a much richer set of skills” and that the skills should be taught “as transferable competencies across situations” (Schechtman, DeBarger, Dornsife, Rosier, & Yarnell, 2013 as cited in Solomon & Schrum, 2014, p. 8). More than ever before the students we serve are connected to other people throughout their school, community, and the world. Students are now participants of the internet as opposed to only being consumers. Students are also faced with the fact that their future employment will “be in an environment where reliance on technology is a given” (Solomon & Schrum, p. 1). Teachers have a huge responsibility to make sure that not only are they up to date on current technology but so are their students.
The days of “sit and get” in the classroom are over. Professionally we should be ready to make significant changes to fully implement technology and to stay current in the best practices for teaching and learning with technology. As educators we must adapt to changes and present new, positive, and productive ways to implement technology and web 2.0 tools.
It can be an overwhelming endeavor to decide what should and should not be used. There is a difference between just using technology and using it effectively to teach and learn. Effective use of technology is more than just using a data projector for class notes, having students create a word document, or allowing them to play math games on a website. I agree with the statement, “Teachers need easy-to-use applications that are clear about how they contribute to student learning and achievement” (Solomon & Schrum, p. 3). It is absolutely necessary for ongoing professional development so that teachers can stay abreast of what they should be using.
There are several tools that I am looking forward to learning more about. Our district is making a move to using Engrade as a learning management system. It would be beneficial for me to have a firm grasp on what it is capable of doing before we make the switch. I also am interested in learning about audio and video editing. This is a personal interest of mine and I want to gain a deeper knowledge of what programs are available and how they work. I also see the audio and video projects becoming an appealing option for students when given an assignment. I want to make sure I know how to help them when they have issues.
Web 2.0 has already changed my professional practice. As a media specialist I have received training for numerous types of programs that I then had to reteach to the school faculty. We have used online sites such as AIMSweb for testing reading and math skills and Infinite Campus for entering grades, attendance, and behavior referrals. Teachers have been using Schoology and Edmodo to create flipped classrooms. Our school district recently gave teachers and students access to Office365 which has dramatically changed the way our students are creating and submitting their work and even how the teachers create and share their lesson plans. In my position any time someone is having difficulty with any of these programs I am the first person they come to for help. My job has shifted from a literacy focus to a technology focus.
My initial thoughts on Web 2.0 is that it will continue to be a big part of learning and everyday life. The push to have all schools in our county be 21st Century classrooms has led to the implementation of numerous online programs. There are times where teachers get frustrated because just as they figure out how to use one program it will often change to something else. The reality is that this Web 2.0 world will be ever evolving and we need to get on board. If not our students will be the ones who ultimately are the ones who are left behind.
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0 how-to for educators (Second ed.). International Society for Technology in Education.