My Digital Learning Journey

This week Chris, Arkin, Kat, and Rae shared information about Web 1.0, 2.0, and what 3.0 can look like. Their presentation gave us a look into the changes that have occurred since the introduction of the Internet and how that impacts us as educators.

In the article Moving from Education 1.0 Through Education 2.0 Towards Education 3.0, Gerstein shares that the evolution of Web 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 can be used as a metaphor of how education should also be evolving. I found the comparisons to be thought provoking and helpful to appreciate where we started (and possibly still reside) and where we need to go.

Web 1.0	Education 1.0
Static pages Read only purpose Content delivery network	Behaviourist education 3Rs – receiving, responding, regurgitating Teachers are the gatekeepers of info

Web 2.0	Education 2.0
Read/write/collaborate Social media User generated content	More constructivist approaches 3Cs – communicating, contributing, collaborating Interaction between teacher and student

Web 3.0	Education 3.0
Individualized Richer, more relevant experiences Read/write/execute	Personalized, self determined education 3Cs – connectors, creators, constructivists Teachers are guides/coaches/cheerleaders

Looking at the comparisons it is easy to see how they relate. Ideally, education 3.0 is where we would like to be in our schools. Is it possible? Will it happen? What impact does the shift to Web 3.0 have on education? I think to answer that question we need to take a closer look at why we still have classrooms that operate as 1.0 and educators who use the Web for read only purposes. Can we expect those teachers to make the jump to Web 3.0? This may be an unpopular opinion but I believe that we have been ok with teachers making excuses for not being “tech savy” for too long. I can appreciate the perspective that Gerstein shared about teachers having a fixed mindset. I have been there.

I find it interesting that most often we hear that one of the main reasons teachers are not using technology is that they need more training or more professional development. I can agree to that on a certain level. What does professional development look like? Are people still holding out for the sit and get type of sessions? We know that type of PD is outdated and does not meet everyone’s needs. One message that has come out loud and clear from the Ed. Tech classes I have taken is that the technology we use needs to be intentional and purposeful. As professionals, can we not seek out what that will be for our individual classrooms? Aside from the division mandated platforms, why can’t teachers look into learning about technology that best suits their needs and the needs of their students? Utilizing the Web as 2.0 there are endless opportunities for PD. It’s out there, you just need to be willing to look and learn. Making that change to your practices and how you view learning can be uncomfortable. I think we still have situations of Web/education 1.0 because as creatures of habit, teachers sometimes teach how they were taught. Changing from gatekeeper to guide is a shift in control that can be very difficult for teachers to give up.

So what impact does the shift to Web 3.0 have on education? We can examine who would be privileged and disadvantaged by that shift. The privileged are those that have the devices, the access to WiFi, the skills to be independent, the risk-takers, are collaborative, and the learners who are creative. The disadvantaged would be those who do not have access to devices/Internet, lacking skills to be self-driven, and not had the opportunity to work collaboratively.

I don’t know if it is reasonable to expect that all educators will make the shift to support what we see with Web 3.0. There are many roadblocks in our way. However, that should not stop us from trying and doing the best we can with what we have.