I found this video to be refreshing in that it focused on the relationships between students and faculty as they create an environment that fosters the Web 2.0 culture. Rather than discussing the various tools, Paul Curtis discusses the overall characteristics of the New Technology High School in Napa, CA. This is a school that was in part founded by the local business community as they responded to the growing needs and skills in the 21st Century for future employees and business professionals. The primary objective of this video is to discuss the overall culture within the school, recognizing the current technical characteristics of the democratization of information, the power of collaboration and the personalization of our classrooms.
Information access and publication capability is unprecedented for students of today. No longer can teachers ‘control’ where students get their information and research, nor can teachers monitor where student work can be published. For a reality check, as I am writing this I received a Facebook update from a student who told me she just published her science project video on YouTube! So the democratization of information is something that we need to accept and work within the new paradigms. The power of collaboration is such a strong element of the Web 2.0 culture. With the advent of social networking tools we should be encouraging the focused group work of students and not look at much of the online activity as plagiarism, cheating or other ‘old-school’ values. Rather we should be encouraging students to explore all avenues of information, but then analyze the data and work with the information through higher level critical thinking schools…both on their own or with collaborative groups. In the future working world more and more will there be a requirement for peer collaborations, and our students should be able to move into this environment with ease and confidence. And finally, this idea of personalization should empower students to develop their own strategies and techniques for learning rather than the ‘assembly-style’ teaching that Curtis refers to in his video.
Building A Web 2.0 Culture by Paul Curtis
One of the pillars of the overall culture of the New Tech School is that of empowerment, the ability to enable students to work together in this new world. Three major traits are vital to the overall success of the school culture …Trust, Respect and Responsibility. The ability for teachers to let go, and allow students to explore online resources on their own, is one of the facets of trust. An approach to this was to enable students to participate in the development and enforcement of behavioral expectations in the classroom and online, and then for teachers to encourage the virtual explorations. A mutual respect for work habits, ideas and thoughts should exist among all the school community which would tolerate differences in approaches and opinions, within the guidelines established by the community as a whole. Curtis believes that respect from individuals comes from the knowledge of the individual, when one knows them as a person. This collaborative and personal approach to education enables more of a bond among students and teachers that helps to build the culture of respect. And finally, with the base of trust and respect comes responsibility. Students know for what they are to be held accountable, both behaviorally as well as academically. Again, the overall culture is an open one where the community works as a whole rather than the parts.
For the classroom I would hope that students would say that I am encouraging such an open environment, as I truly do believe that education today is much more than the one-way direction of years past, that today, a critical interaction between student and teacher, student and student, and even among teachers is necessary for a culture of trust, respect and responsibility. Overall, I do like the basic structure and founding principles of the New Tech School, and hope that I can continue to implement such a culture and environment in my own classroom!
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