Alice Mercer started a meme in the K-12 edublogosphere that begins with a very interesting question: "Is School 2.0 about technology or pedagogy?"


Which, of course, begs the question: What is School 2.0?

The answer to that question, alas, is--like all things 2.0--a bit muzzy. That said, it's being answered collaboratively at the School 2.0 Wiki, whose users are collaborating on a manifesto. Thus far the document is mostly a bulleted list of quotes and ideas. Some of the points are, IMHO, just as characteristic of School 1.0 as the emerging paradigm--they aren't owned by School 2.0. (And my suspicion is that some exceptional teachers have been practicing the tenets of School 2.0 for years.) Anyhow, some themes are emerging from this manifesto:

- School 2.0 adherents espouse self-directed learning.
- Teaching and learning ought to be above all democratic and ethical.
- Bottom-up or collaborative learning methods are replacing top-down content delivery
- School 2.0 aims to overcome old anxieties and replace them with confidence about new method and content.
- Digital technologies and new media are making it easier to implement the ideas of School 2.0 on a large scale.

Not coincidentally, it appears that School 2.0 and NCLB's testing mandates may in many ways be at odds. Because it brings with it both new technologies and unconventional ways of thinking about teaching and learning, establishment stakeholders may feel uneasy about School 2.0.


But back to Ms. Mercer's question: "Is School 2.0 about technology or pedagogy?"


Terrible Teacher writes:

Pedagogy, even though I hate that word. Is there any profession with as many buzzwords and abbreviations as education? I think our methods will have to change in order to meet the needs of students who grow up connected. Even without technology, those changes have to be addressed, or you risk losing your students before you even start - so it's not about the technology, but about the teaching.

HappyChyck answered:

I think it's about pedagogy. To me, technology is a tool we use to help students think in different ways. Sure, education is going the way it is because of technology, but what's the theory behind our classroom practices?

Miguel wrote,

It is foolish to imagine School 2.0 occurring WITHOUT the technology. Without the technology, a whole world of connections and collaborations become possible. Any self-respecting teacher who is a learning human being--not just one following the mandated scope and sequence--is going to gravitate to different methods and approaches. But, School 2.0 is certainly about the technology and the platform it provides for teaching and learning. I imagine it like a beautiful desk that enables one to get more organized, etc...yet, if we continue to pile the same old garbage on top of that piece of furniture, then it's our fault that we just didn't get it. Of course, should that beautiful desk be there if we know we're just going to use it for the same old, same old?

Matthew Needleman weighed in as well:

Undoubtedly it’s about pedagogy. The real art is in integrating technology into your curriculum whatever curriculum that happens to be. A lot of really technical people have no clue on how to use it in the classroom or hand that technology over to the students. On the other hand, I talk to a lot of teachers who do not consider themselves technically savvy who are able to wonderful work with technology because they’re just good teachers and know how to manage a classroom. They see the technology as a tool to support student learning and aren’t using it just for the sake of technology.

Miss A admitted she didn't know what the term meant. But like a good educator, she looked it up. Her conclusion? It's about pedagogy. Athena also admits the term is new to her, but after looking up the concept, she thinks it has to do with both pedagogy and technology.

Nancy Bosch says

In a perfect world it would be about learning not teaching, both student and teacher--the technology would just make it more fun.

Well said!

Personally, I think that the tenets of School 2.0 have been with us for a very, very long time. Look, for example, at Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study from 1911, which recommends beginning with student interests and building from there. Women in particular have long been at the forefront of integrating such student-centered activities into education. I think the recent wave of technological innovations constituting Web 2.0 has made us revisit these tried-and-true methods because the technology makes it easier for them to, in today's tech lingo, go viral.

You can learn more about School 2.0 at the Classroom 2.0 Ning Page, the School 2.0 Ning Page, and the School 2.0 Facebook group. You can also discuss School 2.0 at a dedicated Google group.

What are your thoughts or experiences with School 2.0?

Leslie Madsen-Brooks helps university faculty improve their teaching. She blogs at The Clutter Museum, Museum Blogging, and The Multicultural Toy Box.