Week 5 
Tech. in Ed. AEDU209

Blast Off!

I was brought up on Web 1.0 discussed in Education 3.0:  Altering Round Peg in Round Hole Education, and have taken many college courses taught in the same way, but without the web.  The one that stands out most, is an American History course up to 1877 that I took two years ago.  The class met twice a week and started out with a quiz that was multiple choice, based on the notes we took in the previous class. We then proceeded to take notes from a power point so that we could memorize dates, people and events for the next quiz.  I received 100 percent on 13 quizzes, (sheer memorization), and scored high on the midterm and final. Both of these tests contained multiple choice and 300 word essays that we had to originate containing three people, three dates and three events.  I received an A for the class and cannot remember a single thing.  Not even the 2 essays that I wrote and memorized in order to write them down for the midterm and final. I learned absolutely nothing.  So when I read Web 2.0 Tools and K-12 Challenges by Ruth Reynard, I was intrigued.

To go from a stand up, teacher to student, oriented lesson where students take notes, and then get tested is a form of education I have always disliked.  The 2.0 education that was discussed involved so much more concerning technology, but the 3.0 education, where content is self-directed and  interest-based, with problem solving, is similar to a type of education I researched  for Early Childhood Education.

The Reggio Emilia approach was a philosophy developed in Italy, soon after WW1, by Loris Malaguzzi’ who believed that children acquired knowledge best by becoming actively involved in their curriculum development. He believed that children acquired knowledge best by construction rather than instruction and should have numerous opportunities for hands-on multisensory experiences and active exploration.  (Edwards, Carolyn, Forman, George, Gandini, Lella (1998).  The Hundred Languages of Children.  Norwood:  Ablex Pub.Corp.) I had always hoped that this educational approach would expand to all ages around the world, but never did I think, when I did this research so many years ago, that it would happen.

3.0 is very similar to the Reggio Emilia Approach, and with the social media discussed in the video Explaining WEB 2.0, this type of pedagogy is going to blast off like a rocket, to expand all over the world for all age groups, and I find that to be so incredible.

Technology, the very thing I hated, feared and was against from the “get go”, is actually making what I thought education should be a reality.  Go figure that.  I am so excited!