A teacher in Nottingham, UK, started following my Tweets so I looked up his profile on Twitter.

Amidst all the chatter was an interesting link to three Flickr photos of his classroom. His students were using Voicethread, a Web 2.0 tool that allows users to annotate photos with text or voice.

I noticed that he did not feature his students prominently in his photos, probably in a bid to protect their privacy. But he did mention how he wanted them to either write or speak their mind in the activity.

It was an example of a simple but pretty powerful activity. Learners could rely on either mode of commenting or critiquing an artefact. As they gained in confidence and took in the examples left by their peers, they could attempt their weaker mode of communication. Traditional lessons would typically focus on only one mode or the other, rarely both at the same time and based on the learner’s ability.

I also thought that the activity was an example of promoting relevant technology and media literacies. It was addressing what digital natives seem almost pre-wired to do and what they need to further develop. I can only hope that he continues to look for opportunities to integrate technology in meaningful ways.

On further reflection, I am reminded of how Web 2.0 brings people together. It is human nature to want face-to-face contact. But I value the meeting of the minds even more. And if interacting online leads to collaboration without unnecessary emotional, religious, cultural, etc. baggage, then so be it!