Chapter 9: New Schools

This chapter was interesting. It discussed the many different directions that Web 2.0 could take in the coming years. Over the course of the chapter, several miscellaneous notes were made. First of all, one of the main ideas that is developed is the use of technology that is used at home, should also be used at school. We must, as the chapter points out, not fear away from the use of social networks, cell phones and video games. We must embrace that technology because that is the world that our students live in. In research for another project I came across a program entitled wiffiti.com which uses cell phone texting to respond to questions in real time. This is a way for teachers to use cell phones that is educationally beneficial. Furthermore, I think that it is important the remark that is made about Web 4.0. I am excited about the progress that has been made since this book has been published. I think that there are great ideas in the world of education that can only help us in creating a technology community and a very fostering environment for our students.
Another idea that emerged in this chapter was the comment about David Warlick's bookA Day in the Life of Web 2.0 where he talks about how a school librarian subscribes to all of the teacher's blogs in order to use that information to keep on track in order to supplement the instruction when their students come to library. This makes me VERY excited, because this same concept could be used if I am an ESL teacher. One of the main challenges in teaching ESL is that some teachers don't keep you informed on what is going on in the classroom. With this kind of technology, the ESL teacher would be able to be "in the know" without the mainstream teacher doing any more work than just updating their class blog and assignment calendar.
Finally, I appreciate that the authors of this book realize that this is a changing and very dynamic field. I think that it is very interesting that they include their contact information at the end of the book. This shows that they are always looking for the latest ideas. This is a display of professionalism and a willingness to shift with the educational field.