I just finished participating in yet another tremendous webinar on Technology in Education hosted by Steve Hargadon. Interesting but frustrating. There are so many powerful tools to help students learn that it is hard not to get caught up in the excitement of this “new world”. By reading the ongoing chat during the session, you could see the excitement grow among the participants. Of course, some participants were noting that the guest was talking about a university experience, not a K-12 situation, and many others were lamenting that as teachers they couldn’t even log in to the webinar from school because of all the filters that block anyone from access. So the question kept coming up about how one could teach using all these great Web 2.0 tools if so many of them are blocked.
The problem is — Web 2.0 tools are powerful “learning” tools, not “schooling” tools. That makes the need for them minimal in the system. This is also why it’s not surprising that almost every system (including my own home district) blocks almost all web 2.0 sites for students and teachers. No district “needs” them to “do” school, and it is certainly easier for everyone if no one has to deal with the difficulties and “hassles” they bring. What if a student writes something inappropriate in a live chat? or to a classmate? or about a teacher? It’s easier all the way around not to have to deal with those issues. Besides, we have successfully had “modern” schools for a century without Web 2.0 tools, so obviously they are not necessary.
As I noted, the problem is that schools are set up for “schooling” and these are tools designed to enhance “learning”! Yes, of course, learning sometimes happens in a school setting, but as I’ve said before, learning is a fortunate byproduct of the process. Individual learning at the highest levels is
not the purpose of school and I can accept that — for the system. I just want to make sure we are figuring out ways to create learning systems to complement our school systems.
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