Will Richardson in his column entitled, "It's Not the Technology...." succintly summarized the purpose of educational emerging technologies or the Read/Write Web:
"It's getting to be less and less about the tool and more and more about the opportunities the tools create, the "why", not the "how." And the "why we should use any of these tools" question is all about their capacity to build connections and community. It's one thing to master the skills to create whatever artifact you want: PowerPoint presentation, claymation sequence, screencast, blog post...whatever. But it's another thing entirely to know how to take that creation and use it to connect to people, ideally to other learners, and start conversations with them about the value and meaning of whatever it is we create. That's the shift. Creation in the relative vacuum of the classroom can no longer be the final goal. It's publishing. It's teaching through that creation, connecting through that creation that we should be striving for."
To be unaware of the fascinating conversations occuring about education and Web 2.0 tools is to be missing out on stimulating discussions about learning and teaching in the digital age. I will attend the MassCue Technology Leadership Symposium on Monday where Will Richardson and Jamie McKenzie will speak. I eagerly anticipate the discussions that will ensue! It is such an exciting time to be an educator!
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