Day two is now finished. I think it was another productive day of presentations, interesting conversations, and networking opportunities. That being said, I have a few observations:
- After two days of listening to teacher conversations, questions, and input during the breakout sessions and symposiums, I realized we (educators) have a lot of work to do if we want to effectively utilize Web 2.0 technology to improve student learning.
- Teachers are excited about utilizing Web 2.0 technology in their classrooms, but the diversity of applications seem to present difficult problems. Implementing LMS technology in a high school classroom, for example, is difficult enough for a teacher with limited technology knowledge. Adding podcasting, blogging, and mobile technologies to the equation makes the problems normally associated with implementation seem insurmountable.
- Teachers are having a difficult time understanding how mobile technology can be used to improve student learning. After attending a conference by Hall Davidson related to using cell phones in the classroom, I realized most of the teachers, including myself, were excited about the idea of experimenting with this technology, but were concerned with the potential problems it presented. Sure, taking polls during class, Twittering during lectures, etc. sounds really exciting, but the thought of kids having cell phones during my history lectures is scary! It seems they already have a difficult time staying on task! Add cell phones… and all hope is lost! I guess for most of the teachers at the conference, common sense and experience tells them this sort of technology will most likely only make classroom distractions worse. That being said, most of today’s presentations that focused on mobile technology failed to provide examples of best practices nor reasonable solutions to the aforementioned problems.
- The key note speaker, Bob Bramucci, addressed the usual myths associated with online learning: (1) Myth 1—Technology doesn’t improve learning. (2) Myth 2—Online learning is a fad. (3) Myth 3—Distance education is inferior to classroom-based learning. (4) Myth 4—Distance education is dehumanizing.
Generally, day two seemed to focus on using technologies for new educational purposes rather than as a means to implement old educational programs or systems in different ways.
