Chapter 1, The Read/Write Web

The incredible changes created by the internet were discussed in an overall manner in this chapter.  I was stunned by the short period of time that these “tools” have evolved.  It should be interesting to look at this past decade in twenty years or so, to see if we even use these tools anymore.  However, the societal change such as all of us becoming collaborators for a storehouse of information is interesting.  This is quite a shift from using encyclopedias on the family bookcase.

This chapter really seemed to emphasize safety on the web.  The author explains that teachers need to be extremely careful about exposing themselves and their students to the invasions of privacy that using web tools necessarily creates.  He recommends that we make students aware of inappropriate content and being responsible for their own forays into web publishing.  He even provides a good example to use as a template for parental communication (www.budtheteacher.com/wiki/index.php?title=Blogging_letter). We need to model and share our own experiences, too.  I am a little skittish about safety on the  web so I was happy that Mr. Richardson dealt with the issues head-on. That being said, he reiterates that we should not avoid using web tools to enhance learning.