Week+1+Theories+and+Implications

Learning Theories and Implications for Teaching with Technology
"New world, new web, new skills." The title of chapter 1 in Solomon's and Schrum's, //Web 2.0 New tools, New Schools,// really says it all. Reading this past weeks selections, has made me realize that we are on the brink of a major shift in our society. The world is "flattening," creating a more level playing field for everyone and one of the major levelers is the internet. The accessibility of the web and knowledge found there, allows everyone to freely take part in the new global economy. In this new 2.0 world, individual capability cannot compete with the collaboration of multi-minds working together to create superior products that are freely given for others to improve upon.

For this new world, and this new cyber workplace, there is a need for new skills. And a well-rounded educaton takes on new meaning. Not only do students need to have the "know-what" (knowledge), the "know-how" (skills), but also the "know-where" (where to infomation on the internet) (p 41). Students need to learn to be collaborators and problems solvers. Using the constructive approach to learning, "teachers (can) encourage students to think about what they already know about a topic, search for new information and collaborate with others to solve problems and derive new understanding" (p 38). I think as educators, we need to realize that our students "are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach," (p 26). We need to boldly go where no teacher has gone before, and change our teaching methods to meet their needs.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007), //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools.// Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.