Web 2.0 and Student-Centered Instruction

Will Richardson (click for blog) presented at my school as part of an ADVIS parent session this past week. Every independent school educator should have a chance to hear Will speak, as his presentations on the power and potential of Web 2.0 are thoughtful, sometimes provocative, and especially relevant in today's educational world.

His experiential research shows the power of connecting to other people who can help you to learn; these connections have implications for the traditional classroom teacher. Effectively, gone are the days of teacher-centered instruction; student-centered instruction is here to stay, from all that we can see. It doesn't  mean that teachers aren't needed, but it does mean that their roles and methods are changing to more of a facilitator model. After all, if you've got an internet connection in your room, your students can have instant access to other teachers (traditional and non-traditional) and students, working on the same issues/problems/stories (etc.). Collaboration - global collaboration at that - is the name of the game, if we're looking to graduate informed learners who recognize that the world is flat.