In the grand scheme of things, education has been evolving quite slowly in comparison to technology. Desks in rows, a teacher at the front, writing on a board, and taking tests are all aspects of education that have existed for over two hundred years. We can use this as an example of education 1.0. Jackie Gerstein mentions that education should be evolving just like the web has as well. The digital age of the internet has been one of the leading implementations that have pushed education in a different direction. In the last two decades, schools have shifted to what one could call education 2.0. They have been using this technology as it becomes available to them.
Teachers have integrated new technology into classrooms that use web 1.0 and 2.0 that have, for the most part, benefitted students and their learning. By increasing access to knowledge by communicating and collaborating with others, teachers are no longer teaching students. Students can discover a plethora of knowledge through self-discovery. Their curiosity is supported by the web developments of web 2.0 and now web 3.0. I believe that web 3.0 can take us from where we are now in education to where we would like to be in the future.
Web 3.0 allows for the opportunity to decentralize the internet. We can allow for different perspectives to become part of the narrative for so many individuals. Web 1.0 and 2.0 are still extremely westernized with a Eurocentric worldview that does not support anti-oppressive education. By decentralizing the internet, we can reach a broader audience and truly connect with those worldwide that share the same desire to connect.
The shift to integrating web 3.0 into the classroom benefits those who may feel not heard or recognized in a traditional classroom. Those who identify in a minority group can relate to others who may have similarities that may not be in their immediate community. Web 3.0 allows educators to shift their pedagogical practices to become more diversified educators. Knowledge is power, and the more we know about our students and can connect with them, the more we can empower them to take charge of their learning and be advocates for themselves in the future.
Ms. Mihial's Classroom 
I’m still trying to wrap my head around what this decentralized Internet and education looks like in practical terms. School Divisions are so dependent on Microsoft/Google now, so it will be interesting to see how exactly this potential shift in the power dynamic impacts education. With so much f2f learning teacher-centered, going the complete opposite direction would have cool implications for self-motivated adult learners. I’m not sure how that translates to primary/secondary and rigid, outdated provincial curriculum.
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Hi Mike, I too would love to see the shift occur. I do not know in what medium it would happen or what is would exactly look like, however I feel that in the grand scheme of things it would be beneficial for the exciting implications that it could have in our schools. I certainly to think that it would look vastly different if you were comparing it from primary to secondary schools because the age different on its own would have different implementations.
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Much like Mike, I am can’t seem to visualize what decentralized education actually looks like. As a school division, we are very tied to a lot of the productivity suites that we are to use, and have been so dependent on it for so long. Because most of our learning in the primary/secondary situations still takes place mainly in schools and face-to-face, I am unsure of how decentralizing education would work. I think too, with divisions providing user guidelines to follow, it’s tricky to know what we would even be allowed to do around this topic. In addition, many of our primary learners don’t have the life experience yet or the maturity to be self-directed learners. Also to Mike’s point, what about our curriculums? Many of our curriculums are very dated and don’t incorporate many of the tools available to us today. Also, with a very conservative government, our curriculums don’t even include many different perspectives or current things happening in today’s world. I am not sure what this will look like, or how it will be implemented either, but it’s a super good discussion point. It would be interesting to hear what others think about this topic as well.
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The way that our current curriculum is situated (especially at the 20 and 30 levels), you are correct it is very outdated and would be difficult to navigate with a decentralized view of the internet. I hope that in the future with our worldviews and perspectives potentially changing for the better, that perhaps by shifting our ideologies and interpretations of the internet, we could use that shift to update and modernize our curriculums so that they are less westernized and are more culturally sensitive and less anti-oppressive to marginalized groups of people.
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I also don’t really know what that decentralization looks like. But, I do agree with you – much of Education 1.0, 2.0, and even 3.0 still oppresses. What we do with these tools and how we guide students to find and construct information is what will lead to anti-oppressive pedagogy. At this point in our societal continuum, there is still much learning to be done, and even more UNlearning – on the part of both students and teachers.
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Anti-oppressive pedagogy is a term that I definitely want to dive deeper into regarding professional development. I know in previous years that there have been PD sessions offered for anti-oppressive education and if I am being honest it always made me feel very intimidated and went way over my head of understanding. A commitment I want to make to myself and my students is expanding my understanding of what anti-oppressive education really is and how the use of the internet can both be harmful and helpful to working towards a better future for our students.
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“The shift to integrating web 3.0 into the classroom benefits those who may feel not heard or recognized in a traditional classroom” this sentence really made me stop and think for a moment on the students in my classroom. Have I ever really considered that a student may feel not heard or recognized? I definitely plan to take this thought forward into the classroom/clinic this year and be mindful of ensuring everyone has a chance to have their voice heard. Thank you for the reminder.
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I too need this reminder for myself. Hopefully with the shift to more culturally-relevant curriculum and anti-oppressive teaching practices we can reach all of our students with having their voices and thoughts in mind!
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