Blurred Lines: Teaching and Learning Web 2.0

How often do you view your students as intellectual equals? Even if you work in higher education, your answer might still be: never.

Unfortunately, this hierarchical perspective could be seriously hurting your classroom and inhibiting your student's learning. Some of the earliest adopters of Web 2.0 tools that can be applied to the classroom are those aged 25-34.

Moreover, those aged 35 and younger are digital natives. They are intuitive learners that are heavily biased toward learning and acquiring skills in a digital format. They have never been part of a time without access to these socialized devices. 

That's not to say that other age groups don't actively use connected devices, however. On average, the average adult US citizen uses three connected devices* per day.

As we transition to a more globalized and connected world - educators must prepare themselves for new strategies of both learning and teaching. Those of us teachers who are over 35 must not only learn how to use these daily devices in the classroom but--because of the collaborative nature of these devices--we must also open ourselves to the idea of learning from our students.