One of the key principles of Web 2.0 is that through widespread collaboration and mass participation, the “wisdom of the crowds” emerges. Think Wikipedia’s self correcting system.
Long before myspace, youtube, and Internet forums existed, people engaged in dialogue to expand understanding, test ideas and learn. From Socratic dialogue to the best classrooms of today, education is about the wisdom of the crowd.
At NECC, I had the pleasure of sharing these ideas with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, a blogger for 21st Century Collaborative who was on special assignment for the new SchoolNet blog. If you would like to hear our dialogue, please visit Podcast with Karen Henke - Wisdom of the Crowds.
In my opinion, teachers have this extraordinary opportunity to raise the level of wisdom in the online crowds by instilling a little bit more knowledge and critical thinking in each student they meet. So as you plan for the fall, I challenge you to set one goal for the year that will contribute to increasing the wisdom of the crowd.
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