Web2.0 in education slide-show

This is an online presentation that has been used recently as the basis for several discussions around the country about the role of web2.0 technologies within the classroom.

One of the most discussed issues was the role of the teacher in a web2.0 classroom. When discussing blogs, wikis, podcasts et al it is notable just how closely web2.0 technologies can follow a progression from a traditional, teacher-controlled pedagogy towards more learner-centric models such as andragogy and heutagogy. Indeed, ‘social software‘ is specifically mentioned in Wikipedia’s definition of heutagogy.

Could this be one of the reasons why web2.0 technologies are already having such an impact in education? Because the shift of learning starts to move away from being purely teacher-centric to something more learner-centric?

Children already help themselves and each other to learn all the time, of course. One child asking another how to use a mobile phone for example, is already an example of heutagogy in action.

Ultimately, a lot of research shows how much more meaningful learning can be when learners take ownership and discover things by themselves.

So, collaborating on projects, sharing resources, exchanging ideas and publishing experiences, using appropriate web2.0 tools, will surely only help.