I've recently been thinking a lot about how the "web" (WWW 2.0) is used as a cognitive tool...naturally, I decided to spin my tale from a spiders perspective to gain some insight...so consider my allegorical tale...
A spider starts with an intrinsic plan, some would argue pre-programmed, that it uses to create its web as a tool for its own work. It creates this web by meticulously leaving a small trail of protein fiber, spider silk, behind as it weaves its pattern in and out. Then, after a few finishing touches, the web is ready to use. The spider then prepares a place to hang around and monitor the results of its web to see what might get caught in it. Anything of "interest" that will be of use to the spider (i.e. food), is quickly dealt with and preserved, while those annoying things that get caught up in the web (leaves, sticks, etc.) are often dealt with when time allows. A stiff breeze does not bother the web...it just sways and moves in tandem with it (spider silk is very strong stuff). However, if a larger creature (human) comes by with malicious intentions, it may destroy the web, meaning that all of the work of the spider must be repeated again. Yet, the spider goes on and survives. It uses its web as a tool, even as a source of protection at times, but it never gets caught in its own web...(think about that for a minute...)
So, how is the World Wide Web similar to one created by our spider? We use it for our own improvement, connect a myriad of people and resources through its structures, find all kinds of interesting and beneficial things within it, and sometimes find lots of "junk" in it too. It is fragile and robust at the same time, strong in its linkages and ability to absorb many types of wear and tear and still can be largely taken out of service by childish efforts of a few destructive individuals. It is tended by meticulous "spider" type agents, repaired by technicians, supported by all types of external structures, and still retains a bit of elegance and appreciative beauty if one cares to look at it closely. Truly it is a human construct that we can be proud of...yet, only if we can use it to our own benefit.
Which brings me to cognitive uses. What the WWW 2.0 does well is deliver data, connect people to data and each other, and provide a platform for interactive multi-media content that can serve as a learning tool. A recent article by Thomas Reeves outlines many of the potential uses of the web as a cognitive tool. Reeves bases much of his outline for cognitive uses on the work of John Carroll's model of school learning, which connects aptitudes and academic achievement through a mediation of opportunities, ability of understanding, quality of instruction, and perseverence. Reeves WWW-based learning builds on this to incorporate inputs, processes, and outcomes, mirroring in many ways the structure of an actual computer system itself. This model is a good starting point for considering the best practices of use for web technologies in instruction.
Science Teacher "Testimony time": So, how have I used this WWW 2.0? I have found the WWW to be most useful with students in such activites as sharing and communicating scientific data/experiments with others (such as the GLOBE project; online weather station data analysis from local, national, and global areas; science fair project ideas and research; and pairing with other schools as web "buddies"); utilizing online JAVA applets or simulations that allow students to "experiment" with tools not available in the classroom (GIZMOS, atom models, earthquake simulators, etc.); a resource for online multimedia to enhance understanding and provide important imagery/content for student projects (Youtube videos, digital images, research databases, etc.); and as a communication tool between students and "experts" in many scientific fields (University professors, professional scientists, engineers, etc.) to get new and innovative perspectives on current scientific topics of interest. Most of these "applications" would just not be possible without the robust structure and depth of connectivity provided through WWW 2.0. The trick is not to get "caught" in the web, but instead remain cool and calm above it, like the spider does, and survey things with discrimination and wisdom. We must not only support cognitive, interactive, and thought-provoking functions of the WWW 2.0, but also be especially meta-cognitive in how the web is used for our own benefit. When is it BEST to use WWW 2.0 as a tool? How will it really benefit students to use it?
I doubt a spider understands its own role as a type of director for its own web, but the analogy of a spider web to the WWW provides a good comparison. For example, when you pull on any one strand of a spider web, you affect every other part of the web as well. We all affect the WWW 2.0 as much as it affects us. We are re-weaving the WWW all of the time, just as Ms. Spider does every day. The patterns in it are complex, and can be both beneficial and dangerous. We all have to be very careful spiders to "surf" our own web and benefit from it as much as possible, pulling out the "good bits" of stuff, and not getting "tied down" by all of the other "stuff", that gets stuck in the web. Thomas Friedman has often pointed out how the WWW 2.0 has made the world "flat" for many in its offering of seemingly limitless opportunities. As teachers, we must find ways to now build on this new cleared "flat" ground, so that the next generation of "spiders" may come along and add new twists and even more interesting patterns to our own.
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