When I became an educator in 2014, I knew that classroom teaching had changed with all the technological advances. Teaching with chalkboards, technology, and now platforms have names for them. They are called Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. I, myself, find that my teaching model is between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. I am in this class to become a Web 3.0 educator.
Web 1.0 is mostly informational and does not allow the opportunity to share with others. According to Gerstein, “Education 1.0 is a type of essentialist, behaviorist education based on the three Rs – receiving by listening to the teacher, responding by taking notes, studying the text, and doing worksheets; and regurgitating by taking the same assessments as all other students in the cohort.” This model is one that most educators use in the classroom. I have to say that I was one of them. I would do my lecture using textbooks and whiteboard, ask questions to check for understanding, do a worksheet, play Kahoot! (same question on the quiz) and then give them a multiple-choice paper quiz. Although I knew students need differentiated learning I still used the one-size fits all mentality because there were so many different levels in my classroom and so little time to teach to four different groups.
Web 2.0 is more interactive and allows the students to use higher order thinking skills. I think of this as the early Facebook where the only point was to create a post, share it, and receive feedback. I remember being introduced to a classroom app called Seesaw. It allowed the students to create videos, take pictures, and share to the class using a device such as a tablet. It gave the teacher immediate feed back so that they could understand whether the students understood the lesson or if there were any misconceptions that needed reteaching. Students could also comment on others work. The teachers at my school received a short one-day mini lesson to introduce the app and show all the wonderful features but I didn’t implement it into my classroom due to lack of training, time, and resources. I had four i Pads and 22 students.
Web 3.0 is internet service driven by algorithms that collect data. “The Intelligent Web” is what John Markoff of the New York Times in 2006 called it. When I think of web 3.0 I think of social media now and how you can google wrestling belts and then when you switch over to Facebook or Amazon, ads pop up showing you what you just googled because everything we do online is being tracked. It can be alarming but on the flip side when thinking about using Web 3.0 in education, it can have advantages.
The advantage is that students and educators don’t have to go an create things from scratch. Web 3.0 has already done it for you. The platforms have created full courses, personalized learning, polls, or advanced slide layouts for you so that your time can be spent on building knowledge versus time spent on finding and organizing information.
The disadvantage is that students and educators won’t have to use
those skills and will lose them eventually. “Web 3.0 promises to allow users to
find information and connect with it in more meaningful and efficient ways, but
at what cost to the way students develop skills in researching and
understanding information for themselves? Being aware of the pros and cons of
Web 3.0 is the starting point to understand how we can take advantage of the
benefits while guarding against the potential disadvantages of deskilling
students and reducing their ability to discern the value of information for
themselves.” (Evans, 2021)
Think about this. Why does Google, Kahoot!, Class Dojo, etc., have a free bundle in their packages? One, because advertisers pay for it. This reminds me of a blog I read that mentioned the cons of Nearpod. The con was that there were lots of ads. Two, I think the free bundle is to collect data to create new features that can be used in a purchased product. “The saying is if you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product.” (The Social Dilemma, 2002, Jeff Orlowski.)
Resources
Gerstein, J. (2014, November 25). Moving from Education 1.0 Through Education 2.0 Towards Education 3.0. Boise State University Scholar Works. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1104&context=edtech_facpubs
Evans, Stephen. “How Web 3.0 Will Impact Higher Education: Digital Communications Team Blog.” Digital Communications Team Blog | Updates from the University of St Andrews Digital Communications Team, University of St Andrews, 5 Mar. 2021, https://digitalcommunications.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2021/03/11/how-web-3-0-will-impact-higher-education/.
The Social Dilemma. (2020). “If you’re not paying for the product, then you ARE the product. [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/Aucb5tJMi70
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