Thing #5 My Perspective on Web 2.0, School 2.0, and the Future of Education

After reading the Wikipedia page about Web 2.0, I was a little surprised to learn the concept of Web 2.0 is really nothing new. According to Wikipedia, the term "Web 2.0" was created in 1999 by Darcy DiNucci, and its common usage began in 2004. In technology timelines, this makes the concept of 2.0 somewhat of a dinosaur. I have been using Web 2.0 all this time with Facebook, YouTube, blogs, wikis, podcasts etc. Only I just didn't know it actually had a name! (Maybe that common usage wasn't really so common).

1) What does "School 2.0" mean to you?
 
For me School 2.0 is about the incorporation of various technologies into the classroom for the benefit of teachers, students and their families. The use of these technologies should make the education process a more well-rounded experience for everyone. This has already been happening for the past decade in many schools. I enjoyed Steve Hargodon's blog post Web 2.0 Is the Future of Education,it is amazing that it still relevant now despite being written in 2008.
However, I don't think that "traditional" teaching methods should be completely abandoned. There are many students who do not have access to technology at home and they would fall behind in classrooms that put too much focus and importance on using education websites such as Edmodo etc. to get class and homework done.
I'm by no means a Neo-Luddite, but I do think that there needs to be some balance in the classroom so that the students who need the basics in order to level the playing field get the quality education they need and deserve.

2) What does it mean for schools of the future 

I think to a certain extent the future is already here as far as schools utilizing Web 2.0 technologies. Classrooms will become even more computer and technology dependent in the future. This means that older school buildings will need to ensure they have the infrastructure to support school wide WiFi capabilities. Also, they will still need to have backup lesson plans just in case their computer systems go down for an extended length of time. 
I believe that much further into the future there will be fewer brick and mortar schools and many children will attend classes virtually. I wonder how this will affect future generations as far as students developing relationships with children their own age. I suppose there will still be clubs and sports for children to join since that is what children who are home schooled now do for socialization.