In the early 1990’s, my career began a journey with technology and the influence of the internet. “The system has affected most aspects of our lives” (Moreau, 2021). The evolution of the internet since 1990 has had a huge impact in education. When I first stepped into the classroom in 1992, my exposure to technology was limited to 2 Apple Macintosh computers where my students learned basic keyboarding with Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing or played the popular game Carmen Santiago. They learned new terms like keyboard, screen, terminal, mouse, mousepad, and desktop. I was introduced to Word Perfect and my personal journey into Web. 1.0 in the classroom began.
Fast forward to Web 2.0, where my classroom was equipped with 6 desktop computers and I worked from a laptop from which I could control a smartboard. Using the World Wide Web, lessons, videos and research were presented to enhance the daily learning. The school was equipped with a computer lab and a computer education teacher where students were taught word processing skills, presentation skills, and email. Students were introduced to more terms such as network, browser, upload, download, website, AI, blogs, html, podcast, and social media.
“Technologies of Web 2.0 are used to enhance traditional approaches to education” (Gerstein, 2014, page 87). The classroom was changing! The internet is here! Incorporate technology! The influence of Web 2.0/internet in my classroom had its challenges. Students had limited use of computers as most homes did not own computers/laptops or have access to internet. Social media became a popular way to communicate and students spent learning time using communication apps. Also, limited professional development and technical support are necessary as “the teacher is still the orchestrator of learning. S/he still develop the learning activities and is the facilitator of learning” (Gerstein, 2014, p.80). Despite some challenges, I intrinsically adopted a style of moving from teacher-led instruction to a Connectivist theory of leading and guiding my students to be active participants with technology to support their learning.
In the EC&I 833 class, we have been asked to consider what impact does the shift to Web 3.0 have on education?
The world wide pandemic has pushed technology to the fore front in my classroom. The shift to interactive technology has found its place in my classroom and in the homes of my students. The impact of Education 3.0 theory states that a students learning will be “personalized, self-determined….interest-based learning where problem-solving, innovation, and creativity drive education” (Gerstein, 2014, page 90). As a teacher, I am tasked to explore technology-assisted ways to deliver/present curriculum and help students create artifacts that show understanding. I work from my pandemic classroom, which is my home office, where curriculum guides and year plans are stored on my laptop and are a few clicks away. With the world opening up again and the return to the classroom, Education 3.o will be unique for each student as we explore ways to connect technology to learning and create a Connectivist approach to learning and teaching.
Ekosi. Thank you for reading my blog.
Ramona
Mrs. Ramona Alexson 
Ramona,
It must be amazing to have witnessed such drastic change in education from the beginning of your career. You sure have seen a lot of change and have had to adapt and learn as technology has changed. Imagine if you were now to have a conversation with your first year teacher self. It would be hard to believe how different education and the world is today. It is hard to get by without knowledge around technology.
Thank you for sharing,
Christina
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Ramona, thanks so much for sharing your experience. A lot must have changed since you began teaching in 1992! You definitely have seen the pendulum swing from one side to the other I bet. I can’t really picture what teaching would have been like before the internet. I bet a lot of people were constantly re-inventing the wheel, however, maybe that also forced people to be more imaginative and creative. Sometimes I wonder if we rely too heavily on what other people have created and what we can find on the internet. I mean it is convenient and it helps get the ball rolling, but maybe we are forgetting how to do all of that ourselves? I loved your post, and as always, I enjoyed learning more about you!
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Thank you! I enjoy sharing my life experience as a teacher. Yes, things have really changed. Teaching in pre-Internet was time consuming. My prep time was wicked…research, produce documents and tests…then do it all again the next day. Collaboration and sharing resources were key! I was fortunate to work at schools that supported collaboration. Taking this class has been an eye opener. My current practices still lean toward old style assessments. I have learned alot about the advantages of tech tools. Our school is a blend of both, traditional and technology. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
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Ramona, what an interesting timeline of the evolution of the Web in your spaces. I really resonated with your perspective on the changes, how it impacted student learning and also you as a teacher. I am curious how you personally felt each change? Did the accessibility make assessment more manageable or did you find that with each evolution that work load increased? Perhaps it is both as life really never is either/or! I also love how you brought up Social Media in your post. Many students (and adults for that matter) get their information/news from Social Media. That is both awesome and challenging as we consider fake news, or echo chambers where our world view is constantly reflected back to us! I know I try in my spaces to challenge those notions as well as offer that Social Media isn’t just what you post, or what you like, it’s what you follow, it’s how you expand your perspectives and lean into diverse world views and experiences. Thanks for reiterating the need to be mindful of that powerful platform in our spaces!
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Hi Jacquie. Learning in this class is thought provoking. I like how these blogs challenge us to really take a critical look at past, present and future classroom practices. I am caught between the old and the new. Old practices are easy to fall back on. So I tend to go with the old. That being said, I am inspired by everyone in this class. Your embrace of technology and how to use in an all areas of your career. I am getting there! Thank you for reading my blog.
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Ramona, I enjoyed reading your technology timeline, and was taken back to my days exploring the world with Carmen Santiago! It is amazing to think about how much Web 1.0 and 3.0 differ and how far we have come with the tools available to students. As teachers, there has been a constant need for us to keep up with the latest technology trends, and pressure to learn all the new software needed in the classroom. You mentioned that Web 2.0 brought some challenges, and I have to agree! Along with the PD, there were also the management and planning pieces that required great attention. For example, six computers available to a class of 30 is not ideal, yet we needed to implement a plan where each student had adequate computer time throughout the day. Now, this may sound easy, but we teachers know otherwise! The pandemic did great a huge shift in using technology in the classroom, and it will be interesting to see how they are utilized in the post-pandemic year.
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Your perspective as someone who has been teaching since I started grade school is so awesome to read. I remember skimming through encyclopedias in grade 2 as I tried to figure out capital cities in order to find Carmen Santiago. The PD and technical support elements that you address are huge. I often find myself in the role of troubleshooting things, which I am ok with doing, but some times of the year it feels like a full-time job. I was inspired during remote learning at how very seasoned teachers were doing absolutely everything they could to engage students– creating tutorial videos from scratch, learning LMS systems and how to live stream. I imagine these are things that they never anticipated doing when they started teaching.
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