The Read/Write Web

How significant has the development of the read-write web been in your personal or professional life? What about the lives of your colleagues or friends?
To be honest the Read/Write web has only become write enabled for me this year. Before I used it to get information and send email and that’s all. Through doing this Masters of Education Technology I have been introduced to the Internet in a whole new way. I am a learning-by-doing person so I have taken these new skills directly into my classrooms. Here I have influenced my colleagues and my school with my class blogs and my activity in online groups such as Facebook etc. Nobody at my school had ever heard of a blog before I started using them early this year. Now we have class sites using Google Apps and other classes are using weblogs as well. I f eel so lucky to have so much support. My partner teachers have had mixed responses. Some love it and have worked with me in creating all kinds of stuff, some are interested but don’t really participate and some are too scared.
Do you believe that some people simply don't understand the concept of the read-write web? Yes, because I was one of them not so long ago. Many teachers are intimidated by technology and so many Christian teachers are downright scared of the content on the Internet. I have had many arguments about this. And some, like me in the past - just didn’t know that it is so easy to publish on the web. My son has 2 websites and a blog and he is 8! He wants me to buy him a domain for Christmas www.riam.com
And what about people who simply can't see it any other way?
Well now I can’t imagine now working without the Internet. When my class computer has a virus or the Internet connection won’t work I feel really quite cut off! It has become such an integral part of my teaching. My students tell me that they race home to log into their blogs and check their email. I love the fact that I can go to Facebook and catch up with friends from all over the world. I saw my friend get married - she lives in Canada and only yesterday I found my best friend from boarding school whom I haven’t heard from for 22 years. She saw my page and sent me a message. That’s amazing!