Schools around the globe are poised to integrate next-generation technology into K-12 classrooms. To understand what this looks like, and how it might change the way learning occurs, I paid a visit the School 2.0 eToolkit.

Produced by the The Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International with support from the U.S. Department of Education, the toolkit was designed to help schools, districts and communities develop a common education vision for the future and to explore how that vision can be supported by technology. To get a birds-eye view of what the School 2.0 vision looks like, I recommend taking some time to click through the site and launch the interactive Learning Ecosystem Map.

Stakeholder videos inside the map feature students talking about how technology enhances their learning, including using email and texting to keep in touch with teachers, downloading podcasts to their iPods to study for tests, and watching online videos posted to their teachers’ websites. Parents discuss how their children use technology to personalize learning by working at their own pace, gathering more information when a subject interests them, and exploring different techniques to master daunting material.

After your visit, consider what you learned about School 2.0. Did you increase the depth and breadth of your understanding. Were the explanations instructive? Did you find yourself engaged and interested? Could you have learned as much at meeting on School 2.0? Did you search other sites to gain deeper understanding of new concepts and to identify critics and proponents of School 2.0 like I did? Congratulations! You just attended School 2.0.