By Michael Simkins and Randy Schultz

Engagement is what it’s all about today in education, and technology promises unique ways to engage students in learning. In particular, educational technology enthusiasts tout Web 2.0 as the silver bullet for motivating even recalcitrant students to get with the program.

Web 2.0 refers to the wide range of easy-to-use online tools that now make doing everyday work and communication on the Web practical for anyone. Examples abound and include social and professional networking sites, blogs, wikis, file-sharing and collaboration sites, collaborative resource tagging, and user-submitted reviews and ratings. A hallmark of all such tools is the ability to foster interaction, collaboration and group productivity.

At TICAL, we decided it would be interesting to get an administrators’ perspective on Web 2.0 tools. Do they share a faith in their potential? Are they using Web 2.0 in their own lives? In their schools? What obstacles stand in the way of using Web 2.0 in the classroom, and – more importantly – how can such obstacles be overcome? Who has a success story to share?

To find the answer to these questions, we crafted a brief survey and invited administrators and other educators across the country to share their thoughts and experiences. More than 300 accepted the invitation and took the survey. These included principals, district administrators, technology directors, curriculum specialists, library-media specialists and classroom teachers. Here’s what we learned.

Web 2.0 holds “very high potential”

First, our colleagues see educational value in these tools. When asked, “What is your general opinion of the potential for Web 2.0 tools such as these to have valuable educational uses in your school, classroom or district?” 89 percent of the respondents rated Web 2.0 tools as having potential, with the largest percentage (50 percent) of our study group choosing “very high potential.” Notably, these feelings were shared across subgroups; administrators, teachers and other educators overwhelmingly see the potential of Web 2.0 tools in schools.

Many of our respondents are no strangers to Web 2.0. We provided a list of some common tools and asked respondents to tick off those they already put to work in their personal lives. At the low end, at least one third of the respondents said they use video sharing, podcasting and social bookmarking. At the high end, more than 50 percent reported using file-sharing, instant messaging and photo sharing sites.

Use of tools in school setting

What about Web 2.0 tools in their schools? We asked respondents to rate the same list of tools in terms of extent of use for educational purposes by teachers and students in their schools, classrooms or districts. Response options were: widespread use, spotty use, and little or no use.

Interestingly, the three Web 2.0 tools with the most perceived widespread use were the same tools most used on a personal basis – file sharing, instant messaging and photo sharing. Likewise, when it came to little or no use, the list results were also similar to personal use; the least use was reported for social bookmarking, social networking and wikis. Could it be that we tend to use in a school setting those tools with which we already feel comfortable at home? It’s something to think about when developing implementation plans for Web 2.0 tools.

Stumbling blocks

Next, we wanted to get a sense of the hurdles schools face in trying to put Web 2.0 tools to use. We provided a list of commonly mentioned stumbling blocks and asked respondents to rate each as a “major obstacle,” “minor obstacle,” or “not a factor at all.” The No. 1 culprit? Almost half of our respondents ranked filtering software as a major obstacle. Next in line were lack of teacher interest, followed by formal school and district policies. At the end of the line – or perhaps not in line at all – was lack of student interest.

Interestingly, efforts to increase Internet and computer access in schools may be paying off; these factors did not fall in the top three perceived obstacles to use, though computer access is still an issue for more than 25 percent of our respondents.

Though obstacles exist, our respondents are upbeat about overcoming them. We asked, “How easy is it for teachers and students in your school or district to use such tools for classroom assignments and other educational purposes?” Respondents could select “easy or fairly easy,” “obstacles exist but can be overcome,” or “obstacles are severe and preclude use.”

We anticipated considerable negative response for this item, but we were surprised. Nearly a quarter of the respondents said Web 2.0 tools were easy or fairly easy to put to use, while 61 percent reported that obstacles exist but can be overcome. A minority of 15 percent advised that obstacles are severe and preclude use. Clearly, we see a can-do spirit when it comes to implementation of Web 2.0 tools.

Differences among subgroups surveyed

So far, we have shared findings based on the respondents as a whole. However, we did look at the data to see if there were significant differences in responses among three subgroups – principals, teachers and “others.” The latter group comprised primarily other K-12 administrators, technology directors and coordinators, and educators in other specialized roles. We found some interesting variation in how these groups see the obstacles to implementation, in particular in terms of parental attitudes, lack of student interest, and limited access to the Internet.

First, both principals and teachers saw parental attitudes as a more significant obstacle to Web 2.0 use than did other respondents. What might explain this? Perhaps it relates to the fact both of these groups have greater direct contact with parents. Parents also figure very prominently as “clients” for both principals and teachers, and for that reason parents’ opinions and preferences are a key filter used in decisions about policy and practice at the school level – more so, perhaps, than would be the case for administrators and others who work in central offices or non-school contexts.

A curious finding was that teachers were more likely to rate “lack of student interest” as an obstacle than were respondents in the other two groups. To us, that seems counterintuitive. The common wisdom is that students are immersed in technology 24/7. Could it be that students have already moved on to more sophisticated tools and think the types of Web 2.0 tools being introduced in schools are, shall we say, “lame?” Are students not as tech-savvy as we think they are? Do tech tools lose their appeal for students when applied to academic tasks? In light of assumptions about technology holding the key to engaging students, this finding merits further investigation.

Finally, teachers also diverged on the matter of access; they saw “limited access” as a larger obstacle than those in the other two groups. As with parent attitudes, this difference might be explained in terms of proximity. Of the three groups, teachers spend the most time in the classroom. They have the most intimate knowledge of the technology at hand and how strong and dependable their Internet connectivity is. Also, they are probably in the best position to know the type and degree of access their particular students have outside of school.

Suggestions for overcoming obstacles

In addition to the questions above, we included an open-ended item in which we asked, “Are you an educator who has managed to overcome one or more obstacles and put at least some Web 2.0 tools to use in your school, classroom or district? If so, please share how you did it. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?”

We received more than 160 responses to this question. We read these carefully and sought to distill the “collective wisdom” represented in them. The following suggestions for administrators are based on that analysis and may be helpful if you want to use Web 2.0 tools in your setting:

• Have a staff development program that supports teachers’ experimentation with Web 2.0 tools.

• Be sure to keep parents well informed of the technologies and how they affect students.

• Be a student yourself; administrators should participate in staff development in order to support teachers as they begin using Web 2.0 tools.

• Consider implementing closed solutions that offer protection and control (e.g. Gaggle, Calaxy).

• Consider a professional learning community solely for the advancement of Web 2.0 tools use in the school community.

• Have students be part of the buy-in process; involve them actively in the implementation process.

• Involve your technology support staff as advisors – they actually enjoy solving technology issues and they are a great resource.

• Don’t postpone action, wait for the perfect moment or for the planets to align; assess your own situation and plan your next steps.

Take the survey yourself!

The data reported here come from an informal survey, completed by volunteers, and certainly our methods do not approach the gold standard for empirical research. Keep that in mind as you mull what we’ve presented. We were intrigued by what we learned, and we hope you find the information useful. For more information – and to take the survey yourself – visit http://www.portical.org/web2.

Michael Simkins (mbsimkins@gmail.com) is an educational consultant and former director of TICAL. Randy Schultz (rschultz@csub.edu) is assistant professor of education at California State University Bakersfield and former director of CTAP Region VIII.