The banner shows Praia de São Conrado, a rich neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the early 1920′s and in the late 90′s. Although it contrasts past and present, we can still recognize the mountains and the sea as being the same in both shots. Similarly, if we search the net, we are likely to recognize traditional approaches to teaching & learning as the backgound to the use of high tech state-of-the art tools in education.
But is the Web 2.0 only about applying new tools to old beliefs about teachers’ and students’s roles in the knowledge building process?
I guess our challenge lies on the fact that we must bridge the gap between what we have learned (and practiced) about teaching and learning vis-a-vis the needs of a generation of learners born into a world dominated by technology.
Therefore, I guess we are in a sense explorers of a brave new world, trying to make the most out of Web 2.o to foster collaboration and co-construction of knowledge.
My aim with this blog is to face this challenge and to meet as many “explorers” as possible in order to achieve what the blog title says: care and share!
Can I count on you?
Doris Soares
I’m with you, Doris
Dear Doris,
I was shocked by the difference in the 2 photos! And I liked the way in which you compared them to teaching then and now..
So I’d definitely say you can count on me
Mona from Romania
Doris, I too love the pictures and your use of them as a springboard for your discussion. I look forward to reading more here.
Doris,
You touch upon a very important issue when you say, “But is the Web 2.0 only about applying new tools to old beliefs about teachers’ and students’s roles in the knowledge building process?”
My answer would be no, it’s no. Our beliefs about learning and teaching need to change, are changing, and will change even more because of Web 2.0 and what it brings with us. I really liked your two pictures – you can clearly see that the new condos in the second picture were not built with the technology that the 1920s buildings had been built. The philosophy of designing spaces and the methods used in architecture changed with the building of these new structures.
We are changing too with Web 2.0. Thanks for a great start of a discussion!