Why the Read/Write Web is Essential in Schools

In his book, RSS for Educators: Blogs, Newsfeeds, Podcasts, and Wikis in the Classroom, John G. Hendron discusses the importance of using the Read/Write Web, or Web 2.0, in education. He says:

What if a school’s success hinged on its ability to prepare students for an evolving, global society that demanded openness, peering, sharing, and acting globally? The culture that created the Read/Write Web is the same culture that favors openness and sharing, and is best typified by the open-source software movement. Volunteer programmers that created the Linux operating system worked together, piece-by-piece — each volunteer with a different and varied experience, and each in a different location across the world. This culture would do well to find a home in today’s schools, in order for our students to find success today and in the future.

The Read/Write Web ought to have a place in schools for a variety of reasons. For one, the Read/Write Web is where both business and society have turned to grow and learn. Whether our tool of choice is Google, Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org), or Ask Metafilter (http://ask.metafilter.com), we have access to a staggering amount of information online. The Read/Write Web is also a place where people make a living. “About one million of the most active traders on eBay have quit their day jobs and now make their living selling new and used goods full-time” (Tapscott & Williams, 2006, p. 100). “Lifelong learning” is frequently in the mission statements of schools and districts the country-over. During their school years and beyond, students will engage in endless opportunities to learn on their own. Teaching students how to self-educate using the Read/Write Web is an important new skill.

Students also deserve the experience of developing information and media literacies. The Center for Media Literacy (www.medialit.org) offers teachers resources for developing students’ media literacy, which now includes, among others, both traditional media (e.g., commercials on television) and the nontraditional Read/Write Web variety (bias in blog entries, YouTube videos, etc.). The American Association of School Librarians provides resources for addressing information literacy (www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/aaslinfolit/informationliteracy1.htm), and AT&T provides information on “21st Century Literacies” (www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/), broken into four areas: information, visual, cultural, and media.

Another reason to embrace the Read/Write Web? “Young People Urgently Need New Skills to Succeed in the Global Economy,” reads the title of a report from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=276&Itemid=64). The report cites 70% of human resource officials feel that high school graduates fall short in critical-thinking skills, and 81% of human resource officials believe high school graduates are deficient in written communications. The good news is that by applying the Read/Write Web into the curriculum, teachers can provide students with opportunities to improve critical thinking, as well as both written and verbal communication. Beyond that, students can creatively explore other forms of communication, including film, music, and visual art. A podcast, for instance, requires planning, storyboarding, and writing before the podcast is published.

(pic from flickr.com/photos/dbdbrobot)

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills also calls for using “21st Century Assessments.” The Read/Write Web can make an excellent medium for assessing student learning beyond the now-popular standardized test. Student blogs can become student digital portfolios. Student video projects can reveal, among many things, the student’s attainment of critical-thinking skills. Collaborative, student-centered projects promote interaction with students from faraway schools, testing a student’s progress in working with peers.

I agree with John. It’s vital for our students to be able to use Web 2.0 if they want a successful future. I’d be interested in hearing other arguments for the Read/Write Web. Why do you find it critical that your students know how to use Web 2.0 tools and take part generating information through blogs, podcasts, wikis, and more?

Copyright 2008, ISTE ® (International Society for Technology in Education), RSS for Educators, John G. Hendron. 1.800.336.5191 or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Distribution and copying of this excerpt is allowed for educational purposes and use with full attribution to ISTE.