5.+How+do+school+administrators,+parents+and+other+teachers+respond+to+the+use+of+Web+2.0+tools+in+a+course?

Generally there is support amongst administrators, parents and teachers as Web 2.0 tools provide an even greater number of options to enhance student learning.

= = =School Administrators= = =  Most administrators are exceptionally supportive of technology being implemented and utilized within the classroom. This technology usage has a variety of positive spin-offs for administrators. Technology makes it easier to communicate with students and parents at home. This may reduce instances where parents feel isolated from their child’s school experience. This encourages parents to be more involved within the school community. Once this channel of communication has been established, school administrators can, for example, create a school blog to communicate regularly with all school stakeholders. The use of Web 2.0 tools allow the school to offer more opportunities for students to succeed.

=Parents= ==  Some parents are more participatory in their child’s educational experience than others. It can be quite time consuming contacting parents individually on a regular basis. New Web 2.0 tools make it relatively easy to provide general and specific information to parents regarding their students. Teachers can now communicate to all parents what material students are learning about, what their homework is, when major evaluations are being administered, student attendance information, and even mark updates. The difficulty is determining what level of information is appropriate based on the means of communication, school or board policies, and the teacher’s professional discretion.

It must be understood that many parents are not computer literate. They may provide computers and Internet access for our students, but that should not be interpreted to mean that they can and do use the technology themselves. That being said, there is a benefit to this situation. Getting students to show parents how to use the computer, Internet and email provides a opportunity for parents and students to work together (and dare I say talk to each other). This can be a win-win-win oportunity for all involved. =Teachers= ==  For both teachers and students, this is a tremendous period of change. Right now teachers are looking to establish a new standard method of class orientation and instruction. The majority of experienced teachers are slowly modifying their instructional methods. New teachers are much more comfortable experimenting with new approaches simply because they do not have the same level of experience with traditional methods. You will begin to see greater standardization in the coming years as new teachers increasingly take on leadership roles within schools and the level of technology integration within the classroom becomes more universal. Along the lines of teacher experience, many young teachers are of a generation that has grown up actively using the internet applications. This may make them more comfortable using these tools within the classroom.