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School 2.0 is all about communication collaboration, content, assessment and

evaluation and creation.

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The current educational system creates and nurtures dependent learners. Our

students depend on us to:

create the environment in which learning takes place

tell them what they should know, when and why

provide the context for knowing

provide appropriate materials for learning

assess what they know

select appropriate ways to share what they have learned with others

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The new world of learning is requires us to teach students to be independent learners, ones that are not dependent on teachers but are:Self-directing--we now have the ability to create our own, personal curriculum around the ideas or topics that we are most passionate about. We no longer require curriculum to be delivered to us. We need to help our students find their passions and pursue them in the context of online networks in ethical, effective, organized and safe ways. And finding a balance between the online and offline life is also a "literacy" in this age. There are so many ways to communicate these days (blogs, wikis, IM, text, etc.) that it's easy to get overwhelmed.

Self-selecting--in this world, learning spaces are created, not provided. And teachers are not assigned, they are selected. The creation and nurturing of these highly collaborative spaces and communities is a new "literacy" that we need to help our students develop. How do we find the best teachers? How do we connect to them? How to we build communities with others that are supportive and effective?

Self-editing--whereas most of us were educated in a world where the materials we worked with had been edited by someone else along the way, in today's world, less and less of what we read is now "edited" in the traditional sense. So, reading and writing is no longer enough; we need to develop people who are effective editors of information as well.

Self-organizing--the Dewey Decimal system doesn't serve the online world well, so we have to organize our own stuff. To do that, we use tags and social bookmarking systems, building folksonomies where we organize the Web together.

Self-reflecting--as we become more and more in charge of our own learning, we need to develop the ability to reflect upon and assess our own work. This "metacognitive" work can involve a number of different genres and tools.

Self-publishing--our students will need to be literate at sharing out the work they produce because that increases the connections and conversations that can lead to further learning. Blogs, wikis, podcasts and video are among the publishing skills they will need to have.

Self-connecting--in order to leverage the potentials of personal learning networks, our students must understand how to connect to others in safe, ethical, and effective ways.

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The bottom line is that connection plays a critical part in improving individual performance.

People who are more connected with others fare better in life than those who are less connected.

Connection, because it meets our human needs, makes people more trusting, more cooperative,

more empathetic, more enthusiastic, more optimistic, more energetic, more creative and better

problem solvers. It creates the type of environment in which people want to help their colleagues.

They are more open to share information that helps decision makers become better-informed.

The first element of a Connection Culture is Vision, and it exists when everyone in an organization

is motivated by the organization’s mission, united by its values, and proud of its reputation.

When people share a purpose or set of beliefs they’re proud of, it unites and motivates them.

The second element of a Connection Culture is that people are truly valued. or simply as “Value.” It means that everyone in an organization understands the universal nature of people, appreciates the unique contribution of each person, and helps them

achieve their potential.

The third element of a Connection Culture is Voice. The element of Voice exists when everyone

in an organization participates in an open, honest and safe environment where people share their

opinions in order to understand one another and seek the best ideas. When people’s ideas and

opinions are sought and considered, it helps meet the human needs for respect, recognition and

belonging. “Being in the loop,” so to speak, makes people feel connected to their colleagues,

just as being “out of the loop” makes people feel disconnected. 9

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