Teaching in a Web 2.0 World

Web 2.0 and Universal Design for Learning

The internet keeps expanding and with that comes more and more tools for students to use. The article "Web 2.0: A New Generation of Learners and Education" by Dina Rosen and Charles Nelson discusses the differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. Web 1.0 was all about presentation; coding was complicated and only a select few people could control the media that was exported to those viewing it. Web 2.0 is about collaboration; coding is not a necessary tool, though more people are learning it, and so the information is shared across the board.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) focuses on removing the barriers from education. Educators use tools that differentiate the way information is presented, the way students can express what they know, and how students are interested in that learning. The greater amount of information the web means that students can gain more knowledge in a quicker manner. New web tools also allow for the information to be presented in a better way. Developments in coding has created an abundance of applications that can be created by almost anyone. A classroom rooted in UDL will use these tools to foster education in all of their students. This technology helps present information in a way that students are already familiar with. The article mentions a group of students that create their own weblog on one of the books that they were learning and that got the attention of the author. Creating links to other pages helps children find areas they are interested in. Web 2.0 also facilitates collaboration between students.

However, this technology is not as accessible as others may think. Not all students have access to computers and when those students do they use it differently than those who grew up with computers. For students with disabilities, technology can either bridge the gap or make it wider. Some applications require specific motor functions or cannot be converted with tools like speech to text. This technology can also be expensive. Students going to schools without enough funding may not have the technology that could help either in the school or at home.

Technology can be a great asset in the classroom. With the expansion of the web, it is as if students inherently learn how to manage the technology. It is the goal of the teacher to understand how this technology works as well as how to present it to students. By using it, the classroom can fully demonstrate a Universal Design for Learning.

What is the Internet Anyway? : I would insert a meme if I could

A 1994 clip from the Today show, (which, I might add, was from two years after my birth), shows the reaction of the anchors to the @ symbol. One anchor even goes as far to ask "what is the internet anyway?" To me, someone who has spent an arguably large amount of time on said internet, this is shocking and unbelievable. What is more shocking is to realize that today's elementary students have no concept of what the internet used to sound like or what a floppy disk is. This shows that even when I consider myself more digital native than digital immigrant, that there is a divide that must be bridged between myself and my future students. The rate of technological changes is ever increasing and as educators we must catch up. Educators need to be up to date on technology and know how it works. No longer can a teacher awkwardly fumble around with a program or not realize that an application may need a safety filter. Instead, teachers have to seem just as natural with the technology as their students.