Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thing#2 Thoughts on Web 2.0
After I confronted my fear of the machine, and grieved the loss of the paper arts, I thought about how Web 2.0 will change education and communication for the better. I believe it will enable teachers to connect to an overlooked population of learners who feel either disconnected from or isolated by what will become the exclusive "antiquated" use of written and therefore static materials. Having said that, I fear the web-based world, even as I recognize that makes me distinctly out of touch. I don't know if my objections are fear based or elitist, but I wonder if I will be able to harness the obvious power of the new, ever-changing web 2.0 world in a way that is more than simply lipservice. I am not quite committed yet, but I am fascinated enough to want to explore more of this powerful system.
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What a beautiful turn of phrase "grieved at the loss of the paper arts", and I am not being sarcastic. I miss them too, and I think many of our kids miss those days as well. Some of the problems could be that as we are all introduced to the new technologies our district offers, we all then rush to implement it--willy-nilly--and the kids get a massive overdose of it. It might be fun, until you have to do it in every class.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree wih Salinger in that I, too, love your phrase "grieved at the lose of the paper arts." You have a beautiful mastery of the written language, which can extend to blogging. However, I don't know if you feel this way, but it's almost as if blogging isn't the place for beauty and language. It's more of a social place, so I can understand how it can be frightening, especially to people who value the art of writing. Who knows. Maybe I'm just talking out of my nose. Anyway, I don't see you as an "elistist." I see you as someone who loves language and the art of language. Technology has the potential to damage this art because any knucklehead can publish for the whole world to see. It's almost as if writing is being minimized and losing its value, and that's sad and scary.
ReplyDeleteNot to be a follower (let the wise cracks begin), and say I, too, loved your turn of phrase, but I do. The very fact that you can be so beautifully poetic in an electrical world goes to show that the art of language, the study of diction, the masterful use of rhetoric will never die. And if all else fails, we old farts can continue using paper and pen.
ReplyDeleteAnd to add more to Rhonda, maybe blogging could be a place dedicated more to an artful form of writing than just a social gathering or trading of ideas. I know I try to go back to make sure I have spelled everything write (I miss sometimes), and I want what I write to be memorable and beautiful. The nice thing about the blog is that people then actually read it and can respond, and if we can move people that way, couldn't that be a form of keeping the art of writing alive?
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