Web 2.0 in the classroom today

Several posts ago, I wrote about a teacher friend of mine who is using Wikipedia in his classroom, much to the dismay of some of his colleagues. He has been exploring different ways to incorporate the flexibility and sharing capacity of Web 2.0 in his classroom with his students. He is a high school Language Arts teacher and he is gradually moving much of the work of his classroom online. Here, I ask him some questions about his new venture with his students.

So what made you want to move your instruction online? What prompted this?
Honestly, it's been a process that's taken time. The fact is, school as we do it just isn't cutting it. The structure of most education has not changed much over the last century, and yet the world is changing rapidly. It's insane really. So, I figured I needed to do something to make my instruction better fit with the reality my students would soon encounter.

And you think the web is the way to do this? What specifically do you plan to do differently with your students?
Well, first I want to move my students to submitting all their work online via Google docs. The idea of emailing papers to instructors is not exactly new, even though it is resisted by many of my colleagues who just love a paper copy of an assignment. But Google docs goes way beyond simple electronic submission. It allows for online collaboration, multiple revisions, real-time commentary and remote collaboration. It's an incredibly powerful tool. In addition to Google docs, I plan on making use of powerful resource sites like Wikipedia and other Google tools, like Google Notebook. I really think it will revolutionize the process of learning that my students go through.

How are your students responding? Is this natural to them?
Surprisingly, not as much as I thought. They have been more resistant than I thought they would be, since they are used to doing things a certain way. The internet is still a toy to them. But they adapt very quickly. What I'm finding is that the skills they have started to develop using MySpace and Facebook can be easily converted to a different application. By using the social networking and user-generated content ideas that they are used to, they quickly learn to do school work in this new fashion.

Then do they like it?
Yes, absolutely. Once they see what they can do, they really get into it.

Has it been difficult for you to make the change?
Not really. I'm kind of a nerd, and I love a new challenge. But I think anyone can do this, if they decide to. The team over at Google have put together some really easy tutorials to get started. I think what is necessary is a desire to learn new things. But teachers who are open to the ideas will see the power of it. Using Web 2.0 technology really helps students focus on the process of learning, rather than simply trying to regurgitate what a teacher wants to hear. They take control of their own development. It has really freed me up to help students focus their learning. I am much more of a facilitator in this role, which is exciting for me.

What benefits do you see for your students with this type of instruction?
For all those standardistos out there, I actually believe this will help students perform better on their basic skills - reading, writing, etc. But ultimately I think it will help them to be better thinkers. They will become agents of their own learning, rather than passive receptacles of a teacher's knowledge. I think it is exciting for students to imagine, design and create their own learning. I think it was Alvin Toffler who said the illiterates of the 21st century will be those who can't learn, unlearn and relearn. That is the problem I am trying to solve with this approach to my teaching.

A while back you told me you were using Wikipedia with your students. How is that going? What more would you like to do with that?
Wikipedia is a very exciting project. Students can use it simply as a resource, but there is much more available to them. When they stumble upon a controversial or disputed topic, they can explore the academic argument that is taking place on the Wikipedia message boards. This teaches them that information is not static, that understanding is constantly being revised and disputed. Eventually, I want my students to begin to contribute to Widipedia and create entries. It will be exciting for them to become a part of this global endeavor. At that point, they see their "assignments" as having real-world application. They are no longer living in a sterile learning environment, they are real contributors to the body of knowledge that is out there.There are other exciting projects attached to Wikipedia. The Wikiversity is growing quickly, and is going to revolutionize the way we "do" school. In the short run, I would also like to make use of Wikibooks, which is a repository of online textbooks that can eventually replace the textbooks they all lug around every day. Like I said, there's a lot of exciting stuff going on with Wikipedia and I want my students to get involved with it.

Where do you see this heading? What impact do you imagine this will have on your future instruction?
Personally, I think this is going to remove some serious boundaries that currently exist in education. We are bound by the classroom and, frankly, by our own understandings of what students should learn and know. I see a future where the walls are gone, students are in charge of their own instruction and the process of learning is valued over the end-result. We can have virtual classrooms that span the globe, where students are limited only by their imaginations. I think this scares teachers because we don't know what our roles in this future will be. But I think we will still have much to offer, by teaching students how to focus, by teaching them how to be critics, and by offering them wisdom.

Do you have any advice for teachers who might want to embark on this new teaching strategy?
Be brave. We will be struggling against age-old institutions. But our only hope for our students' futures is that they learn how to unlearn and relearn, constantly. It's an exciting time to be a teacher.