Thing 5

What does "School 2.0" mean to me? I think that school 2.0 is going to change the way students learn because as more and more educators begin to realize the value of web 2.0 tools. Right now, I think that there is some stigma associated with web 2.0 tools due to the fact that many people still don't understand what they are and how to use them. I have to admit that I am one of the people. I am still skeptical and apprehensive. I am still warming to the idea of classroom blogs and wikis.
Students will be moving from using an internet that is read only and become participants in the web. Students will be networking with other students in their classrooms, school, community, and possibly further. Students are hungry for an opportunity to be creative and shine. Most of them just don't know it yet. It is up to us as educators to learn to harness the possibilities already at our disposal. Web 2.0 applications are not the future, they are the present. Without them, our classrooms are being left behind.

I think in the future (near future I hope) all students will have a computer at school available to them. I think that in the future, as teachers become more internet/tech savvy, students will be introduced and exposed to many positive applications in a safe environment where they will learn to use them responsibly. Classrooms will no longer be defined by what textbooks and textbook series are being used. They will be defined by how students are using what they already know and collaborating with others to build on that knowledge. It's a scary but exciting time to be in education.