Although we explored many tools this semester, I feel that one of the main learning goals was to discover integrate them into our epistemological philosophies to make us better educators. I'm not certain that we must have our students engage with the tools in the same way we have, though what we can learn through our interaction with other individuals through the use of Web 2.0 tools certainly can. For example, if we're looking for lesson plan ideas, there are several platforms available that allow us to connect with other educators who may have helpful suggestions. We've discovered much of this through our examination of personal learning networks and its definitely something I'm excited about taking further in the future.
As pointed out in Kim et al.'s reading for this week "Effects of Group Reflection Variations in Project-Based Learning Integrated in a Web 2.0 Learning Space," participants for their study consisted of young adults who were very familiar with Web 2.0 tools, but conceded that conducting the same study with certain age groups - namely older adults and very young children - may have yielded very different results. This caused me to wonder - as instructors, to what extent should programs that rely extensively on Web 2.0 tools and technology be tailored to specific age groups? While children may not be expected to engage with an extensive amount of interactive web-based tools, the skills of older adults are likely to be much more varied. With that in mind, how can we accommodate those with more experience without losing the interest of or overwhelming older adults that may not have much experience? It seems like it would be a delicate balancing act to account for the needs of...
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