Web 2.0

I was sitting in a staff development session two years ago and the presenter was discussing students categorized as low SES, or low socio-economic status. She made the comment, "Do you realize that there are still some homes that don't even have access to the Internet?" I slumped into my chair because I was one of those homes! While I am not typically low SES, I do live in a rural area where dial-up is a joke, there are no ethernet cables and the phone companies tell you, "We're researching that area for future DSL capabilities." Luckily there is such a thing as wireless Internet - thank you Verizon - and we country folk can catch up. During this period of Catching Up, I have dabbled in Web 2.0 but the world of blogging, social networking, RSS feeds, etc. is still very new to me. I have only recently begun to understand the educational implications of such technology. I currently have a teacher webpage which I must confess, I haven't updated or even viewed in a year. It's just sitting there, lifeless. I know I can make it better and more interactive, but one teacher in our building was put "in charge" of the teacher pages so the rest of us have had little ownership of taking care of them. I believe that Web 2.0 can change that. Any person can be an author and publish on the Internet. With a blog, a teacher can easily (keyword: easily) post assignments, video-clips, comments, homework tips, etc. Web 2.0 removes the Middle Man and puts the teacher in control of the webpage. Students can have a blog site, too, allowing them to ask questions and collaborate with classmates. With RSS feeds, the teacher can manage large amounts of students and concentrate only on updates to the students' pages, instead of viewing each page individually. As long as the school districts' filters will allow students to use blog sites, I can clearly see the advantages of Web 2.0 technology. Parents, too, will be able to access the teacher blog at home and receive up-to-date information instead of waiting for a newsletter or email. Although there are still some homes that do not have an Internet connection, Web 2.0 is an effective method of putting students, teachers, and parents on the same "page."