R2D2, Where Are You?

A difficult challenge facing educators today is how to effectively utilize technology to improve student achievement. Although the interactive, user-centered, and social-oriented structure of Web 2.0 technology presents wonderful opportunities to improve the way educators teach and students learn, many teachers feel mired in technology overload. Presented with hundreds of different technologies and thousands of approaches to teaching and learning with technology, educators are wondering how they can use Web 2.0 to improve student achievement. Too often teachers feel frustrated as they attempt to construct unique teaching models that are relevant to their curricular goals, all the while effectively incorporating these technologies into their instruction. Educators know the importance of preparing students for the information age they will enter upon graduation, but many classroom teachers are not sure how to effectively integrate this technology with their learning goals. Curtis Bonk’s recent article on the learning model or framework he developed– read, reflect, display and do (R2D2)– presents an interesting solution to this problem. MORE...