If we accept that Web 2.0 = "everyday, non-technical people using the web to enhance their own lives and businesses." (Richard MacManus, Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas)...
Then, Schools 2.0 = teachers (in all subject areas) and students using the web to enhance instruction and learning. The web enables educators to share information and collaborate with one another without waiting for a staff development day or a department meeting. In addition, it allows teachers to share and engage in conversation with a world of educators--not just a department or school. These same web applications enable students to explore the world without being confined to resources available in their textbooks, their classrooms, or the school library.
As educators we not only need to use these resources to our greatest advantage for preparing instruction and presenting information, but also teach students how to utilize these same resources. It is our obligation to use these resources for "teaching, learning, and driving innovation" (A guide for Educators). One message is quite clear: students are all very familiar with these resources, however, we need to teach the means by which these resources may be used by them to research, to learn, to create. Students need to see the Web as not just a source of entertainment, but as a valuable source of information and enrichment.
Educators are obligated to teach our students how to take advantage of currently available technological resources. Educators of the future will have the same obligation. Schools in the future will face challenges in trying to provide an appropriate and current education that truly prepares students to successfully learn and work in a rapidly changing world.
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