Teacher 1.8 in School v .9 using Web 2.0 Tools!

Confused? I sure am! I am realizing that there is no road map to the school of the future. I think despite the efforts of people like Will Richardson and David Warlick, it's an experiential thing. Don't get me wrong we still need to keep moving forward, upgrading each classroom one by one, but can we move a little faster please?

I sometimes get impatient. When I do I have to sit back and reflect. I have realized that it has taken me over a year to get to the understanding of the concepts of web 2.0 and how it impacts education. How can I expect a casual conversation in the hall with a colleague to have the same level of impact?

I came to understand these tools and concepts in a backwards sort of way. I was podcasting and using podcsting in my classroom for almost a year before I even new about web 2.0 or school 2.0. Once I learned about the tools and concepts behind them I started to think about my teaching differently. You can listen to this in our recent podcast at the TechPodZone. We have immersed ourselves in Web 2.0 and you can hear our take on things.

What's frustrating is not getting everyone to the same level of understanding. My other podcast, PSUCast, is about our student management system. We are periodically talking about how there are a few reluctant users. One of the methods we used to bring everyone to use the system was a mandate. This makes me wonder if that's what we will need in order to get all teachers upgraded to teacher 2.0.

I admit that I am not fully upgraded at this time. Only a few more patches to be installed and I will be up to date. Does this mean I am now caught in the never ending cycle of upgrades? We used to call that "Change". Oh no! The "C" word.

Find the Map! Which Way do I Go?

It is easier to travel alone than in a caravan, especially if you are in the front. I have been implementing the many suggestions of my newly discover colleagues of the Web 2.0. The results have been wonderful.

I am in the third iteration of podcasting in my classroom. This time though I am combining it with a classroom wiki and blog. This has helped to transform my classroom. It has not been easy, but anything worth while is often hard work.

I have discovered that the immersion into the Web 2.0 has transformed my thinking as well. I can walk into any classroom, view a lesson, and immediately think how it can be applied using the new tools. Sometimes I share this and sometimes I don't. It all depends on the teacher.

Changing my classroom has been easy though compared to bringing on board the teachers in my district and area. How can we effectively introduce the Web 2.0 concepts? Introducing them is not enough. Somehow it has to be sustainable. Teachers have to embrace the concepts and create a long lasting change for themselves and their students.

Podcasting is the area I am most comfortable with. This is the activity that I have been involved with for almost 2 years. My enthusiasm has been transferred to other classrooms, but in some cases for only a moment. I have noticed that when the initial excitement wears off the teachers go back to there old habits. It also takes a long time just to get the word out.

The problems as I see them in the trenches are:

1. Web 2.0 is more contradictory to what's happening in this day and age of test scores and it's relationship with accountability. It has to be developed to run parallel.

2. The Web 2.0 concepts need to be more effectively communicated to the masses.

3. Web 2.0 needs to be packaged somehow so everyone can get their hands around it.

I have only recently come on board with these concepts and haven't discussed them as long as some of you. I am now starting to hear several of you say we are at a cross roads and something must happen. I agree!

I am in the process of creating a half day technology conference day in our district. This day best illustrates the fork in the road we have come to. I have several workshops that will show teachers how to use the tools. I have only a few that relate to the Web 2.0. We have several people who are just learning to use things like email. We have several people who want to learn about Web 2.0 but just cannot find the time because of the mandates. We have a small few who have come on board, mostly because they are not tied to the mandates. It is extremely challenging working with a diverse group. Kind of like a classroom, except the adults are not a captive audience.

I will be conducting a workshop entitled "School 2.0 Let's All Upgrade!" I will let you know how it is received and which fork we take. The caravan is a long one and my rear view mirror cannot see the end. Hopefully we move at a pace that will avoid a pile up and will not lose anyone!

Anyone have a GPS navigation system that has been programmed to reach the Web 2.0 safely?

Why Now!

About a year ago I entered the School 2.0 arena without even knowing it. I discovered podcasting. I was so excited about this new tool that I spent many hours learning everything I could about it. It wasn't long after listening to my first podcast, School of Podcasting, that I wanted to podcast. As they say, "The rest is history".

Podcasting has led me down paths that I never dreamed I would travel. I have met several great people as well. Everyone involved with podcasting has been just wonderful.

I co-produce two podcasts for educators. One podcast involves three educators. It is called the TechPodZone. We discuss technology and the classroom. We have a lot of fun doing what we do and we hope people enjoy it.

The other podcast that I co-produce is called PSUCast. It is a podcast for PowerSchool users. PowerSchool is a popular student management system.

Both of these podcasts have taken me to several NYS conferences as a presenter and to the T&L Conference in Dallas, Texas. That was my first national conference! All of this in just one year! It all happened before I even new I had entered the Web 2.0.

As I stated before I have met so many good people. It was during a recording of the TechPodZone that I learned what Web 2.0 was really all about. Vickie Davis "Cool Cat Teacher" from Comilla, Georgia was an excellent guest. She motivated me to dig deeper into Web 2.0 or the ReadWrite Web.

Since that interview I have had my technology department at school install WordPress, Twiki, and Loudblog. I have used Classblogmeister in the one class that I teach. The tools that I have discovered and the techniques used to deliver the instruction have started to transform me from teacher 1.0 to teacher 2.0. I can't wait for version 3.0!

I want to share my classroom experiences and my discoveries with all teachers. The teachers that have not yet discovered this are the ones I would like to talk to. The challenge as I see it is, how to get these teachers on the upgrade path?

I hope to discuss how teachers can use these tools and all of the ones yet to be discovered. Join me on the path to School 2.0. Schools of the 21 century!