"The Future of Education"
Web 2.0 & School 2.0
As I was reading the articles and watched the video Machine is Us/Using Us, I am simply amazed about how far we have come with technology in such a short period of time. I remember our third grade classroom getting an Apple computer, (no mouse) with its green screen and green print. It's hard to imagine what the next ten years will bring us in technology. One point that struck me was in "The Horizons Report", students today are now more then ever learning everywhere, at home, in the classroom and in their community. There are so many educational games and resources available to students now which help all different types of learners.
I think when people refer to School 2.0 they mean that our students are getting the newest version of education. Just like how we need to update computer software to keep up with technology, we need to update the ways we educate our students. Now we are taught that we as teachers need to differentiate our instruction and I think that using technology aides in this tremendously. Students can use the classroom computers to take individualized tests according to their level. In addition to helping students I think that School 2.0 also means updating the way we run our schools as well. In Clarksville, for example, Powerschool is the latest update of School 2.0. Powerschool electronically sends attendance to the office and serves as a grade book in which parents can log on and monitor their child's grades. Tools like Powerschool help teachers, parents and school administrators to better communicate and work together to give students the best education possible.
I have mixed feelings when it comes to what School 2.0 means for schools in the future. While I am excited to see what the future will bring in the way of technological developments. I am a little concerned about how inner-city schools and Title I schools will be able to stay up with these demands of supplying schools with the newest of technology. It would be great if every student was able to get an Ipad/ tablet but realistically I don't see that happening nationwide. Prices have gone down tremendously as technology has been more accessible to everyone. In 1984, 30 years ago, a Mac computer cost $2,495 ($5,595 in today's economy). 1984 Macintosh The cost would be very prohibitive for every school to get computers/ tablets in every classroom. To add to this, I recently found out that my MacBook Pro that I bought five years ago is considered to be an "antique" and can no longer get parts for it. Even if schools were able to supply students with the most up to date technology, we are making technological advancements so rapidly that it would be difficult for schools to keep up. I also have a security concern as well. There are always new viruses popping up and if someone decided to target schools and children's personal information could be as risk. That being said there is no reward without the risk. I do believe that the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to School 2.0, students are using technology anyway, so why not use it to educate them as well?
Candice, I completely agree with your point of view. I'm a huge "techie" when it comes to classroom instruction, and have seen it's benefits. I do however understand the issues with funding the technological advancements to keep our kids up to date with the most recent technology. It is definitely a hassle, but I am finding that if a school is title I, that's where they tend to put their money first. As far as safety, it isn't any different than a hacker trying to access the schools administration information.
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