Classroom 2.0 - a Link to High School Reform

"Today there are multiple federal, state, local, and philanthropic high school reform initiatives that are simultaneously attempting to address the consistent and ongoing criticisms of the traditional comprehensive high school. Despite the diligent work of school leaders and other educators, academic performance in high schools remains stagnant, achievement gaps exist along race and income lines, and low graduation rates and high dropout rates persist."
~National Association of Secondary School Principals

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has a vision of reforming the American high school into an academically rigorous, personalized learning environment. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the nation's oldest regional accrediting association, stresses the themes of collaboration, personalization, equity, and engagement in establishing and maintaining high standards in education. Classroom 2.0 is an ideal vehicle for implementation of their key themes.

Collaboration is, by definition, the essence of Classroom 2.0 - the term used to describe the classroom in which web-based applications are used to facilitate learners working together. Individuals can no longer possess all the knowledge they will need. Siemens writes that we can collect and store knowledge through "collecting people." He stresses the idea that developing these connections is more critical than possessing content. If one knows where to find answers, the seemingly infinite amount of content of this information age becomes accessible. And when the flow of knowledge becomes too rapid and complex, a network of people can share the processing and interpreting (Knowing Knowledge, 2006). Today's youth recognize these principles and are applying them by creating networks of virtual "friends." When teachers incorporate networking into the learning process, the focus shifts from receiving and memorizing content to thinking about, creating, and applying content. These in turn lead to personalization and engagement.

"Conversation is the ultimate personalization experience..." (Siemens, 2006). In the Classroom 2.0, assignments no longer end with a finished paper (graded, returned, thrown away). Student work becomes the inspiration for the thoughts of others; it is offered as a starting point to build upon. Learners experience that their voice matters, that people are listening and responding, that their ideas count (Richardson, 2006) and they become engaged. And when the school assures that access to the Web is available to every student, this experience is equitable.