It's funny how you can use all of these "Web 2.0" tools on a daily basis: Facebook, Skype, ooVoo, Twitter, xtranormal, blogs, etc, and not realize that they fall under this umbrella. The last week of June, I was in DC - well, actually I was in Virginia but it's just 15 minutes from DC - on "staycation." I didn't really have any specific plans other than reading all of our assigned reading prior to the start of class. The pile of reading was somewhat daunting, but I thought getting a leg up on this new concept (new for me) was important. The more I read through everything, the more I kept thinking that this is the direction education is heading and I need to keep up. (I also kept thinking if I was clever enough, I could have designed a blog like MacRumors.com a few years ago and skipped medical school, residency, and fellowship altogether and the student loans that came with it. I could be rolling in it now.)
Case in point, my nephew, who just finished the fourth grade, submits the majority of his homework online and if he or his parents have any questions for his teacher, they can post comments or questions to her on a private discussion board that is viewable by any child in the class. He knows how to upload his homework and submit it to his teacher. He's just 10 and is already more savvy in distance learning than me! Next thing I know, he'll be blogging about his life and the woes of being a 10-year old living in suburbia.
In a world where it seems that everyone has an iPhone (or the HTC EVO which is much better!), iPad, laptop or netbook, the more technologically advanced a class is, the more today's learners will stay involved and stay plugged in to what's going on in their class. Videocasts of lectures missed might not encourage students to get out of bed in the morning, but at least they are getting the information the teacher wants them to learn. Discussion boards, chat rooms, video-conferencing can allow students to interact with each other in the comfort of their home. How great is that? Saying that this is the wave of the future sounds cheesey but understanding how to capture today's learner is something every educator should know.
Finally, as an avid cook and foodie, I just wanted to tell you all that my favorite blog is the Julie/Julia Project: http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/
Check it out. Julie is a very entertaining writer and the movie does not do her any justice.
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