Games, Social Media, and Education 2.0

While earning my Masters Degree at the University of Florida, my coursework afforded me the opportunity to explore in depth some important technology tools needed for teaching online and blended courses as well as conditioning myself to stay current with the latest technologies used in mainstream culture. My prior experiences with web 2.0 technologies includes creating blogs, wikis, podcasts and videos with some green screen production involved as well.

This blog started as a Master's course journal and developed into a work space to explore video production, hobbies and commentary about the future of technology in education. I would classify my role in the realm of web 2.0 technologies as an educator that participates in mainstream technology tools/devices/games to understand the experience of today's adolescent culture and how interacting with the latest technologies shapes our view of the world seen through a gaming/technology enthusiast perspective. With the continued growth of the gaming industry and the need to engage students with interactive technologies, the role of games, mobile devices, and web 2.0 tools will become more important as society shifts away from the digital divide (digital immigrants vs. digital natives) to the global digital community (every person born into the world of web 2.0 and beyond).

As educators in the 21st century, we need to provide students with technology tools that are engaging, fun and collaborative while grounding our pedagogy with theory and research. My goals for this class include developing a greater web presence for professional development and general fun with participating in online communities in addition to reflecting on my peers' work as well. My experience with many web 2.0 tools allows me to have fun with the class and continue to generate ideas for future dissertation work. The course also provides me a chance to reflect on teaching my students with web 2.0 technologies and why these technologies are so important for both personal and professional growth.