The open classroom

About a year ago I began to explore the educational possibilities of something that gives the name of Web 2.0 in a web about the  “text comentary“. Always thinking of an ideal classroom with a computer for each student (which will happen sooner or later, but it will happen).
That page got something left, because through it I could start a serious project for research (I have published here and there a small part of the preliminary result of this study).

When I think of a class of literature made by internet, I think the problems with privacy issues relateds.

The high school students are mostly legally minors. I am very envious of my fellow Americans who bravely used in class twitter, facebook and similar sites (many in the minimum age for registering is 13 years).

In Spain, where we can, without doubt, give lessons in the new XXI century moral wrong, this is now unthinkable.
Here too there are teachers who use wordpress blog as a class open to students and their internet posting in this blog, I do not know whether or not explicit parental consent. I know that here, a priori, all these issues are very problematic. Although in practice I think there are also quite relaxing by parents and authorities as to the actual attention given to this matter.

The question is how a classroom blog to be private and closed?

I do not know the answer to question of privacy and the educational use of the internet, but I think it has to think creatively about it.
It makes no sense to use the Internet as a classroom and dont show the classroom on the internet. Goes against the philosophy of the invention. Kill their true potential as an engine of change.

And I speak now of what really has caused these reflections. In my page about text comentary, some visitors leave messages. From a grateful student, teachers, novice poets to poetry lovers in general.

The question is, if this blog is my classroom, what should I do with these messages?

I do not want to abandon the idea of an open classroom, open to te Web, open to the world. So my thoughts ended up taking it to a response that was predisposed to accept willingly: these messages are a variety of reasons why the class should be open. And address the teacher to filter messages. But that shows the immersion of the classroom on the Web is just one example of the desired effect. Internet use is an immersive education: this feature is not unique to virtual reality games. Internet use enhances attention of students. Let that feeling more intense and motivated the responsibility of students with a classroom open and live. A classroom transmitting live  their learning process  to a world who the classroom contamplates live too while studying it.

Open education, open the classrom can not be confined in the four physical walls of the classroom. That has ceased to have meaning with this knowledge revolution that is occurring not due to any Web 2.0 or other special label, but the rapid development of the possibilities that the internet was from the beginning.

The classrom must be open, as an open balcony to the great avenue, a busy artery that is built from now much of the world we live and the life experiences of new generations. The classroom should be there, walking from cyber highway, exposed to their accidents and their events within the new world, showing the new frontier is discovered.
You can always move the classrom to make a search in any encyclopedia or online at sites of aggregation of social bookmarks, make a survey on facebook, or twitter in a prompt, give a look at the net actuality on digg, contact with other schools …

Privacy is changing. Not so long ago people were reluctant to give his real name on the internet. Today we are taught to their wardrobe. The classroom work can be done well, partly, open to the internet.

Focus now another side of the case. It is not just that twitter or facebook (for further examples) are in classroom, like other learning tools and knowledge. It is also the classroom is in facebook and twitter, researching, studying and sharing with other classes to round out the use of social learning. To end a more intense, it is also the adventure of learning is another of the emotional landscape that will strengthen the theoretical project of collective intelligence and the Internet users in general that can enrich their spirit.
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…Yes. Incidentally, this is not really English. Maybe you want to help turn it into decent English in the comments (although it is just one online, by charity!) or you may want to read the original article in Spanish.

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