Journal 1: Do Web 2.0 Right by Daniel Light

Light, D. (2011). Do web 2.0 right. Learning and Leading With Technology, 5(38), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-december-january-2010.aspx

In the article by Daniel Light, I found his findings about using web 2.0 tools in the classroom beneficial and interesting. It made me think of the ways I would use technology in my classroom when I become a teacher, how I can creatively keep my students engaged with them without over doing it, and also how I would create a classroom community on and offline. Before reading this article I thought that using things like classroom blogs would only be possible in higher learning aspects, such as college classrooms, but now I am starting to realize that students as young as elementary age are learning how to navigate online. I also had no idea how much technology is already being used in primary and secondary schooling, and that the world is becoming an online community in more areas than one.

Do you think that using Web tools in the classroom will create more of a status separation? Will all students be able to successfully access these online tools?

This was something that came to mind when reading the article. What if I use an online blog and assign homework for students and one of my students does not have a computer accessible at home, or access to internet at home? This seems like it would be a problem because if the student did not have access to the internet at home, then he or she would not be able to to create something for my classroom if not all students couldn't participate in some activities that other students could, and this could create more separation between students than need be. I would never want participate equally.

In the article Light proposed the concern that teachers need to use their online tools in a way to promote communication both on and off line with students. Do you agree that all these online tools such as blogs can successfully do that?

This was another topic that concerned me throughout the whole article. In this class I believe that our personal blogs have been used in a positive way, and that it also creates a tighter in person community. I have been able to read things about students that I probably would have never known if we did not blog. It's nice to understand students and connect with them once you have seen their personal creativity into use. As adults, I think that we have been limited to our amount of "fun" and "creative" aspects in schooling, and I think that blogging has helped bring that side out in us. I believe that if done right, using web tools in the classroom can create even a stronger classroom offline community bond.