Challenges+of+Web+2.0

The Challenges of a Web 2.0 Classroom

Nothing comes without adversity and roadblocks. Web 2.0 can contribute much to teachers and their students in the pursuit of the standards presented in the adjoining pages. However, it is not a simple solution as the road to a Web 2.0 classroom is not free of obstructions. Below are issues to consider when reflecting about Web 2.0 and its effects in a classroom.


 * Web 2.0 Changes the Way We Think of A Clas **** sroom ** [[image:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/58/187432802_ff56c4cf1e.jpg width="417" height="313" align="right" caption="Photo courtesy of dave_mcmt on flickr"]]

Currently, when one thinks of a classroom, many conjure a picture of a teacher lecturing in front of rows of students. There are exceptions, but this is still the prevalent stereotype presented when one mentions education. The challenge the Web 2.0 presents educators is that students will need to be taught to be more independent so that they can take full advantage of opportunities to create meaning for themselves and discover where content knowledge can solve their own real-life problems. This means that teachers will need to shift their mindset from being the source of information to a facilitator. For many teachers, this task is daunting as they have many questions about what exactly this change means. When students are seeking their own individual path to an educational discovery, there are going to be many paths to an answer. Each path may not lead to the correct answer, and each path may not be as appropriate as the others. This presents not only a problem in management of large classrooms, but a confusion in the role of the teacher of when to interfere as a student pursues an erroneous path.


 * Technology Changes **

Yet education often does not keep pace. Since technologies change rapidly, teachers and their districts will be responsible for keeping up with these changes and learning the required skills. Teachers need to become expert in Web 2.0 tools and they also need to teach Web 2.0 tools before using them. This is not limited to the skills of simply operating the technology, but also the skill of incorporating the technologies in such a way that it promotes the higher order thinking skills represented by the standards. Teachers will also need to put a lot of work into changing the curriculum to incorporate the tools. Where will they find the time to collaborate? Who will do the front work to provide these experiences for students? In order to begin addressing these questions, teachers and administrators will need to be flexible, adaptable, and willing participants in professional development to learn these technologies that permeate students’ lives.

** Access Is Not Always Available **

Although most Web 2.0 tools can be accessed and used from any computer anywhere, there will be students who don't have computer access at all. With public computers in places such as libraries this may not seem like a considerable challenge to many, but a 2010 study by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration found that, "despite the growing importance of the Internet in American life, over 30 percent of households and 35 percent of persons do not use the Internet at home, and 30 percent of all persons do not use the Internet anywhere" (p. 4). Even among those who do have internet access, the type of access matters. With Web 2.0 tools a larger bandwidth and faster speeds are usually required, but thee may not be available in rural areas or may nor be affordable for those who are in the low income bracket (Kolhatkar & Sahasrabuddhe, 2009).

Beyond physical computer and internet access issues lie other access challenges for people with disabilities. Some of the obstacles presented by Kolhatkar and Sahasrabuddhe (2009) to consider are summarized below. To read in more detail about the accessibility challenges and what progress is being made, read the full article by Kolhatkar and Sahasrabuddhe.
 * Web 2.0 is dynamic and so the text is continuously updated, which requires for the page to be refreshed. This can be a problem for someone who relies on a screen reader since every time the page resets, the screen reader starts from the top of the page.
 * Applications such as Flash and Shockwave immensely use graphics and animations to convey information which is not easily transmittable through assistance devices for the visually impaired.
 * Much of Web 2.0 is user generated content, and many users are not concerned that their contributions are accessible to everyone. Examples of problems include users using videos without closed captioning to extensive color usage which limits access to those who are color blind.
 * Everything in Web 2.0 is just a click away; which sounds easy enough, but what about those with motor disabilities? For people with such disabilities, controlling the mouse with the necessary precise movements is not always an option.


 * References **

Kolhatkar, A., & Sahasrabuddhe, S. (2009). Does web 2.0 challenge accessibility? //SETLabs Briefings//, 7(3). Retrieved from http://www.infosys.com/research/publications/Documents/web2-challenge-accessibility.pdf.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (2010). //Digital nation: 21st century america's progress toward universal broadband internet access//. Retrieved from @http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/2010/NTIA_internet_use_report_Feb2010.pdf.