Is Education 1.0 Ready for Web 2.0 Students?

Everything on the web seems to come with it’s own version number now. Even though most desktop-based programs have moved past that. Recently, education has even been given a version number online. Are you teaching education 1.0, or education 2.0? Don’t know the difference? Then I have the article for you.

In a recent Innovate article, John Thompson of Buffalo State College explored how Web 2.0 is affecting education:

Is Education 1.0 Ready for Web 2.0 Students?
According to John Thompson, Web 2.0 is here. Having moved away from its roots in a read-only medium, the Internet is now a place where any and all users can create, upload, and transform information. A crucial consideration for Thompson is how this technological transformation will affect the pedagogical practices of institutions of higher education (IHEs). In his article, Thompson offers an exploration of the meaning and application of Web 2.0; evaluates how Net Generation students, who will enter the classroom with Web 2.0 expectations and experiences, will reshape IHEs and their practices; and examines what some IHEs are specifically doing to meet the needs of the next generation of students. Thompson suggest that in order to move our educational practices forward, it is incumbent upon us to recognize and react to our changing student population.

(note: you have to register with the site to read the whole article)

The article is very interesting. As an educator at heart, I hope that Web 2.0 does change education. Enough with the lectures and book reading assignments already….

However, I do have to point out that this article follows Marc Prensky in assuming that every college student in the future will be a Digital Native. As I’ve looked at before, this greatly ignores the digital divide, that is alive and well in this country. But, despite, the digital divide, education 1.0 does need to upgrade to education 2.0, especially before education 3.0 arrives.

I need to go home and eat my food 1.0, before it grows mold and becomes food 2.0. Leftovers just don’t do the upgrade thing very well….

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