Posted on our shared doc "Classroom 2.0" by Draginja

The Internet-based software programs referred to as "Web 2.0" have become popular as the latest, most effective technology in education. Web 2.0 programs are quickly becoming the education tools necessary for all twenty-first century classroom educators and learners because of their teaching and learning opportunities.

While Web 1.0, that is, the Web that most educators and learners have been using for several years now, is basically a one-way medium, Web 2.0 is a two-way medium, where users can publish their thoughts/ideas to an actively participating audience, socialize through MySpace, Facebook, show digital photos through Flickr , for example, rather than carrying a photo album around, use valuable educational tools such as blogs, wikis, and podcasting. All programs on Web 2.0 encourage a high level of collaboration and engagement and allow teachers and learners to connect and share resources and information with other learners and educators.

As a result of all this, great changes have taken place in the field of education including the profile of the learner, the role of the teacher, and society in general, and therefore, it is inevitable that schools must change, too!

And about time!!! Schools resist and fight change; in the past especially it took about 50 years for changes to come about in Education. We simply CAN NOT afford to wait that long, change IS happening all around us, whether we like it or not. We must adapt or be left behind! - Links April 3rd

This is the paradigm shift that many Education Reformers have been trying to get governments and the general public to understand. Almost all other areas of society are utilizing this "two-way medium" except Education. - Jennie April 4th