Journal #2

"Breathing Fire into Web 2.0" by Justin Hardman and David Carpenter

The article, Breathing Fire into Web 2.0, details the myDragonNet system developed for the Hong Kong International School. This system is a fully integrated web-based system enabling all sorts of curriculum management, calendars, networking, on-line storage, communication--in short all the bells and whistles the internet is capable of. This system is based on the principle that school should be a big part of our cyberlives and we should co-opt some of what the kids are doing anway (mySpace, im, etc) for the lofty goal of education. This system makes it much easier for communication between school, student and parent to take place.

Will a system like this positively affect student performance? I am inclined to think it will. I have seen in my WebCT classes that 24 hour access to assignments and information makes it so much easier to keep on top of schoolwork. It enables you to plan your time and work on your own schedule. I think the variety of ways there are to view assignments (calendar, assignments, syllabus) make it much more likely that a student will have access to a way that works with their particular learning style. For myself I've found that pulling the assignments and due dates for each week from each class and pasting them into a Word document that shows me a schedule of everything I have to accomplish for the week lets me relax and feel good about checking things off my list (very important for us type A's!).

Will a system like this increase teacher-teacher communication and facilitate sharing of ideas? Again, I think it will. What a great way to look at what others are doing and seeing if there's anything that would work with your students. And what a great way to share the ideas and inspirations that you have had in the classroom. I have a girlfriend who is doing her student teaching right now and as we walked this morning she told me of a game her master teacher plays with the students, an idea she had to improve it, and I thought of a way to adapt it to the grade I want to teach. If that kind of collaboration can happen at a school-wide level that can only be a good thing.