Web 2.0 in the Education Enterprise

I have been teaching at Penn State since the Summer of 2000. In that time I have taught IST 110: information, Technology, and People at least once a semester. This year is a little different as I won't be teaching 110, but instead designing a course for the College of Education. This new course, that I am calling Web 2.0 in the Education Enterprise, is an extension of the things I first started thinking about several years ago as I was teaching IST 110.

One of the things I like to do is experiment with emerging technologies and see how they play in the teaching and learning space. I am lucky enough that my career and primary interests overlap so I spend quite a bit of time not only researching this stuff, but also participating in the design and implementation of it for teaching and learning. I am the Director of Education Technology Services at Penn State so not only is this course built from my own interests it is a reflection of the types of things I believe will shape the educational landscape for the next 5-10 years.

I am asking you to be an active participant in the design and evolution of this course. You will begin to notice that this site will become the hub to the learning space ... we may or may not use ANGEL, but we will be using technology to support nearly all of our activities. This site is built to provide us with modern tools to facilitate communication and collaboration. Each person in this class will have a blog, have the ability to collaboratively author content in this space, and will be asked to contribute to the overall content basis on the course itself. The course is about the emergence of the read/write web and the space not only supports that idea but promotes it. Every piece of content at the Course Site can be commented on and quickly changed. Part of our collective responsibility ios to leave behind evidence of our activities here so the world can see. As a matter of fact I am going to bet that at certain times during the semester this space will be visited by thousands of people -- and they will more than likely have things to share via comments as well.

This space is also designed to last over time ... the idea being that students that come after you will not start with a blank site, they will start where you left off and will continue to build upon your activity. It is an interesting and exciting way to design, deliver, and maintain a course. For me, the only thing that can keep me engaged are your contributions. So I am turning to you to help shape, shift, and alter my thinking, teaching, and approach. If you have thoughts, just add them as comments below! Consider yourself invited!

Course Title: Web 2.0 in the Education Enterprise
Course Limit: 20 Students
Level: 400
Credits: 3

Prerequisites:

• Basic understanding of Instructional Design
• Familiarity with the Internet
• Interest in emerging technologies
• Passion for changing education
• Basic search capabilities
• Downloading and listening to audio
• Researching and reading online