Wicked Problem Project Part A - Description of Need or Opportunity

Since I have no real teaching experience of any sort at this point in my life, I have no other perspective to look at a project like this than through the eyes of a student. I was just hired for an elementary school computers teaching position starting this August, yet I just graduated from MSU undergraduate not even four months ago. I have not had the time or experience to undergo the paradigm shift that inevitably happens when a student becomes a teacher. I look at my viewpoint as a student as a positive aspect going into this project. I have a fantastic grasp of student to student interaction. I have noticed that in a group work setting for classes, getting things done can be difficult. I have embarked on many a group project adventure and more often than not working around everyone's schedule is a difficult if not impossible task. Inevitably, some people get stuck with doing more work while others remain in the background going along for the ride, so to speak. Technology has become a part of daily, or even hourly, life for the modern college student. We are connected 24/7 with our laptops, iPhones, and gaming systems. My generation is the face of the technology revolution. Yet I don't think that the usage of technology in education has achieved the sort of popularity that social interaction via technology has. Web 2.0 technologies and social media networks will become the future of technology in education, but they haven't yet gathered a mass following by students or teachers. My project will aim to increase awareness of the collaborative possibilities that are presented by Web 2.0 applications by outlining, summarizing, and promoting their usage in a classroom setting.

I firmly believe that many teachers have not fully embraced Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom, which is why the usage of these programs is nearly non-existent in College, at least in my experience. The majority of my technological exploration in College was using the archaic Angel system (It's not all bad! but it is severely lacking in many aspects such as its forums design and overall layout just to name 2) to respond to questions or submit classwork. I have found, especially after taking CEP 810, that there is a world of free applications on the internet that allow for access from anywhere and collaborative contact with group members that are more tailored to specific purposes (presentations, tutorials, etc). My project will aim to present some of these applications and their usages and how they can benefit students and teachers. The best way to have these apps gain popularity is through teachers emphasizing their use, which will be one concentration of this presentation. I will also hope to show students how much easier collaborative projects could be by using these applications. I hope to have a great tutorial in place as my final WPP presentation. I then hope to introduce my future elementary students to these technologies at an early age so they can see the possibilities Web 2.0 possesses for the future of educational technology.