Challenges+and+Opportunities

**Challenges ** //**Access ** // While research has shown many benefits to using Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom, it is not always a clear-cut, hassle-free process to ensure that students have the necessary tools at their fingertips. As teachers, we need to start making changes in the opportunities we provide for our students. Our students are growing up in a much different environment than many of us did. It is our responsibility to teach them not only the standard curriculum, but also the technological background needed to be literate in today's society. In order for teachers to use the abundance of resources that are on the Internet, they need unfiltered Internet access. If schools put filters on their networks for teachers, the amount of information teachers have access to is limited and therefore, has a negative effect on the amount of information they can relay to students. Some schools block valuable websites ( [|YouTube] , [|TeacherTube] , discussion forums, and blogs) that can really enhance a lesson. Educational gaming sites are also commonly blocked by school filters, which is unfortunate as gaming sites provide a fun, interactive way to learn. If teachers could introduce students to gaming sites in the classroom, students would likely carry over and go on those websites at home as well. While it can be a challenge, teachers need to help increase access to technologies in the classroom. Without providing access, students will struggle to communicate in the ways that are needed to be successful in this day and age. Equal access begins with allowing students to use unfiltered wireless connections in school. While this poses a problem with many school teachers and administrators, it means that students must learn how to be a good "digital citizen." Teachers need to do everything in their power to make technology ever-present in their classrooms. By doing this, they are increasing the number of technologies that students use and begin to understand. If school districts can supply Web 2.0 technologies, teachers can begin preparing them for their future careers; some of which may not even exist today. By giving equal access to students, students will be provided with opportunities for new learning...learning in ways that haven't always been a part of past educational processes. 

// **Dependency** // While equal access can provide many opportunities for students, it can also cause students to depend on technology. There is a broad issue that needs to be addressed in regards to the ease with which users can create content and post it to the web. The long list of reason that Web 2.0 can be good for students can also be cause for concern if users become too engaged, too participatory, or too attached to a topic which they feel passionate about. Students can easily become addicted and dependent on Web 2.0 technologies and the Internet as they are taught about its importance to their future. If their Internet connection goes down, many students who are so used to having information right at their fingertips may not have the skills to use other means of accessing information. This risk of dependency and addiction can hinder students from using their mind to think critically, problem-solve, and use "old-fashioned" ways to find information and analyze it. Ideally, there should be a balance between using technology and other supplemental learning activities as this will provide students with experiences that reflect what they will see in the "real world." 

// **Acceptance, Pedagogy, and Other Challenges** // While the future of education is aiming towards the ubiquitous use of technology, not all teachers are comfortable using technology in the classroom. While most teacher education programs encourage the use of technology in the classroom, there are many teachers (new and veterans) who do not embrace Web 2.0 technologies to the extent that they should. It seems that some teachers' negative attitudes towards technology stem from lack of knowledge or experience with technology. Teachers' attitudes towards technology is impacted by the type of professional development opportunities they are provided with. If professional development activities do not outline a clear purpose, teachers will likely be less interested. However, if professional development sessions clearly indicate increased student achievement as a result of using technology, teachers are much more likely to be open to trying innovative things in their classrooms. "Getting teacher buy in is important when technology is involved, especially for those who are not convinced technology is worth the time and effort. The first step of any sound professional development program is to develop a belief about technology professional development that includes the idea that the curriculum drives the use of technology, not vice-versa, and that empowered teachers will find appropriate ways to include technology with their ongoing instruction rather than view it as an activity unconnected to the district's content standards (Barnett, 2003)." In addition to attitudes and professional development, it appears that an individual teacher's teaching style relates to the integration of technology in the classroom. Research has shown that teachers who consistently integrate technology into their classroom practices are more likely to possess constructivist teaching styles (Judson, 2006). "Evidence suggests there is a parallel between a teacher's student-centered beliefs about instruction and the nature of the teacher's technology-integrated lessons. This connection between the use of technology and constructivist pedagogy implies constructivist-minded teachers maintain dynamic student-centered classrooms where technology is a powerful learning tool (2006)." Obviously, one teacher may have this 21st century/futuristic view of teaching and learning while the next teacher may practice much more traditional methods in the classroom. This presents a problem if we think about how or IF all teachers could ever adapt to the same pedagogy. Isn't differing pedagogies something that makes unique learning experiences for our students? Would //learning// become ubiquitous if teachers across the globe taught with the same methodology? <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">In Steve Hargadon's article, "//<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">[|Moving Toward Web 2.0 in K-12 Education] //<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">," <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">he too indicates that his vision of Web 2.0 in K-12 education is not free of barriers. He lists five main ideas that cause difficulties in the world of Web 2.0 in relation to education: <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">//**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">

First: **// "we’ve developed a negative cultural impression of social networking that comes out of the very power that will [make] it such an effective tool for education. Fundamentally answering a human need to connect, create, and express ourselves, the immense popularity of some early social networks have showcased garishness and vulgarity that aren’t inherent in the technology, but became an early part of it because of the very absence of influential adults. I can use the same raw building materials and tools, say, to build a casino or a school. If the casinos [were built] first because of the financial potential, that doesn’t mean that I don’t use building materials now to build the schools. Personal profile (portfolio!) pages, discussion forums, video and photo repositories, messaging, and other social networking functions can all bring real pedagogical value if we can get past our knee-jerk negative reactions to social networking."

//**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">Second: **//<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> "we won’t be able to implement Web 2.0 expansively without ubiquitous computing, and so its use and adoption in schools will not be even or equal. This is a real issue, without easy answers, especially with the added challenge of having more and more personal phones and devices require networks which can accommodate them all **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">."

//<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">Third: //**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> "Teachers will need time and training to learn to use these tools in the classroom, and we’re notoriously bad at spending time or money on this. Even if most of us were all to agree that Web 2.0 is the dramatic revolution that I’m making it out to be, there are still incredibly challenging demands on teachers’ time that will make it hard for them to learn about these things. And because we’re not likely to agree across the board on how important Web 2.0 is in education, adoption by teachers will also not be even or equal. Nor would we want it to be–sweeping educational practices need to be challenged and to survive those challenges in order to separate the wheat from the chaff."

//**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Fourth: **//<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> "the legal liabilities that schools face because of concerns about a) student exposure to inappropriate material and b) exposure of students to potential predators will not be easy to overcome."

//**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Fifth **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">: // <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> "information revolutions don’t come with a manual, and we surely can’t foresee many or most of the implications of what’s taking place and how to integrate it into education. It will take time to build new 'playbooks.'"

Current leaders in education attempt to promote the constructivist beliefs and professional development activities are often based on the idea of student-centered learning. This push toward constructivism, however, just like the push towards the integration of technology in the classroom, is new to many teachers. In order for teachers to embrace these ideas, it means many must change their current teaching practices, which is always difficult. The time it takes to truly invest in adjusting teaching practices is likely one of the largest roadblocks for teachers. We always discuss time in relation to teachers and their planning, professional development, developing relationships, grading, creating, and the list goes on. All of these challenges create a vicious cycle and it could take many, many years until the teachers who reject the idea of constructivist teaching will be phased out of the field of education. If the aforementioned research holds true, then we have a long road ahead before the parallel between student-centered beliefs and technology will be consistent between every single teacher worldwide.

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 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Opportunities **

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> Students in the 21st century must be actively engaged in learning. Web 2.0 tools help meet this goal as they often **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">require **<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> active participation. According to [|NCREL.org], "an engaged learner is one who is responsible for their own learning. These students are self-regulated and able to define their own learning goals and evaluate their own achievement. They are also energized by their learning; their joy of learning leads to a lifelong passion for solving problems, understanding, and taking the next step in their thinking. These learners are strategic in that they know how to learn and are able to transfer knowledge [in order] to solve problems creatively. Engaged learning also involves being collaborative - that is, valuing and having the skills to work with others." In education, students are able to interact with content in new and innovative ways. Here are several examples of activities that require active participation: <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">Because students are more engaged in the learning process with the presence of Web 2.0, their learning interactions are of much higher quality compared to traditional methods of learning. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> Students who use Web 2.0 tools might be analyzing information on the Internet including websites and media, and they might also be evaluating, collaborating, creating, and publishing work of their own. In the "Web 2.0 world," students are discussing, critiquing, and re-mixing content to better understand it, as opposed to simply reading information from a textbook or web page.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">A class discussion that is held in an online environment
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">Using "[|Learner Response Systems]" during instruction
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">Blogging/Journaling - it isn't enough to post once...students are constantly engaged by commenting on each others' blogs and adding entries (a record of learning is kept over time)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">Student-produced podcasts
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">Media sharing (sharing photos, videos, presentations)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">Social networking

media type="youtube" key="K_6GUx1Zx0w" height="232" width="279"

//<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Authentic Publication = Real World Feedback ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> // <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">Another advantage Web 2.0 brings to education is the idea of "student-centered learning" with personalized experiences. Traditional ways of teaching and learning are less common in a Web 2.0 classroom. Prior to Web 2.0 (and still present in non-Web 2.0 classrooms), teachers were the center of attention and directors of all activities. Students would just sit and take in the information as it was being "fed" to them. In student-centered learning methods, the students' voices are what is heard rather than just the teacher. Web 2.0 tools are most often collaborative and just as commonly personalized. A common feature seen with Web 2.0 tools and applications it the ability for the user to choose a specific user name and password. While it may seem trivial, this allows individuals to play a part in collaborative activities while maintaining their personal identity and voice. This is especially important for students who might not always participate in class or speak out when in a group. These students who might get "lost" in a group can stay actively engaged in learning while using Web 2.0 tools. Another example of a personalized experience is blogging. In any classroom at just about any grade level, students can be given a topic (specific to the curriculum or not) and write reflective journal entries in a blog. Whether this be just for the teacher's eyes or for their peers to see too, students are actively engaged with content and communication without feeling pressure to speak out in a classroom setting. If students view each others blogs, they are given the opportunity to comment on the entries, which might spark an interesting conversation or allow them to see someone else with an interest similar to their own. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%;">One of the greatest strengths of Web 2.0 in education is its ability to connect students and teachers in ways that make it easy to collaborate and communicate. Working with other people is a skills that is required of citizens in the 21st century...a skill that is essential to being successful. Obviously group projects have been in education for a very long time, but Web 2.0 changes the parameters regarding <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">//<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;">who // <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%;"> is in the group and <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">//<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">how // <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%;"> the group interacts (look at US!). The new tools allow students to work with peers around the world in ways that have never before been available.
 * //Collaborative Nature//

"With Web 2.0, information can be pulled from a number of different places, and it can be personalized to meet the needs of a single user. Applications can be built on the existing applications that comprise the Web 2.0 interface. It could be said that Web 2.0 [allows] the mass population to communicate with each other and spread ideas rather than receiving their information from a single authority...Information will flow freely, and people can express their ideas without fear of repression (Exforsys Inc., //__[|"Advantages and Disadvantages of Web 2.0"]__//)."

With the existence of Web 2.0, people have become more informed worldwide. Instead of the computer/Internet serving as the "distributor" of information, people receive their information from multiple sources. Students who learn to use Web 2.0 technologies have more opportunities to learn about the world around them. For example, online newspapers from other cities, states, and countries can be accessed via the Internet. Events can be seen from more than one perspective, thus allowing Web 2.0 users to become well-informed people. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> media type="youtube" key="_A-ZVCjfWf8" height="228" width="274" <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> Barnett, H. (2003, Dec.) Technology Professional Development: Successful Strategies for Teacher Change. ERIC Digest [Electronic Version]. //ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology//. Retrieved June 24, 2009, from []
 * Works Cited on This Page**

Judson, E. (2006, Sept. 22) <span class="wiki_link_ext">How teachers integrate technology and their beliefs about learning: is there a connection? [Electronic Version]. //Journal of Technology and Teacher Education.// Retrieved June 29, 2009, from []


 * Suggestions for Further Reading**