Difficulties with Web 2.0
Some Schools are not Ready for Interactive Content
Sometimes it seems that everyone wants schools to gladly embrace every new technology. The reality is that not all schools can effectively integrate Web 2.0 technologies.
Blogs, videoconferencing and RSS feeds have not only gained in popularity but have become commonly used features of the World Wide Web. Children explore these technologies from home through sites such as Webkins and MySpace. There are many useful ways to integrate Web 2.0 into classroom activities, but not all schools are ready. Due to both real and perceived problems these technologies remain out of reach for many educators.
Training
Training costs money, and money for education becomes tight when the economy slumps. Educational seminars and workshops are provided both during the school year and the summer, but districts feeling a budget crunch may not be able to afford to send many teachers to out-of-district training opportunities. Add to the costs of the training the cost to hire a substitute for the teacher’s class and the cost of travel expenses and it is financially understandable that teachers might be told to wait.
The most useful training for teachers is a setting where they get to create something that can be used immediately in the classroom. The problem with Web 2.0 is that it is very technology intensive and not all schools are ready for the demands it can place on networks.
Technology
On the simplest level, the technology involved seems minimal; a computer and access to the World Wide Web. But the demands made on the network can be more than the school or district is ready to support.
Blogs and wikis need to be created on a server that can provide a secure environment for students. Some sites are available for educators to provide secure accesses, but ideally the school needs to be able to maintain a server within its own network on which it runs the necessary software.
Videoconferencing involves transferring pictures and sound. The technology required includes a microphone, good video, speakers and a large amount of bandwidth. Unless the network speeds are high enough to support this, the videoconference could appear choppy and slow, or even disconnect.
Administration
In efforts to manage what is available and sometimes to limit student abuse of the available technology, it is not uncommon for administration to limit or exclude Web 2.0. Sometimes it is through the technology allowed, other times by not approving the use of external sites. Some schools restrict their networks to prevent the streaming of audio and video, others do not allow students to use external USB devices (which would hamper the effectiveness of Podcasts and RSS feeds), while still others prevent students from logging onto external sites.
Whatever the reason involved, teachers need to actively promote to administrators their desire to integrate Web 2.0 and work with them to make these resources available.
