Weak participation in Web 2.0
**Cross-posted from my blog** http://mrpotter.edublogs.org
A recent study of online surfing habits by Hitwise states that:
Web 2.0, a catchphrase for the latest generation of Web sites where users contribute their own text, pictures and video content, is far less participatory than commonly assumed, a study showed on Tuesday.
But there is some positive news:
But despite relatively low-user involvement, visits to Web 2.0-style sites have spiked 668 percent in two years, Bill Tancer of Hitwise said.
"Web 2.0 and participatory sites (are) really gaining traction," he told an audience of roughly 3,000 Internet entrepreneurs, developers and financiers attending the Web 2.0 Expo industry conference in San Francisco this week.
What does this mean for education? I think it is one of those situations where you have a few early adopters implementing, but the rest of the world is starting to catch on. I think there is some data in the study that there are more lurkers than there are participators. I think as educators, we need to lead the horse to water and eventually the other horses will be there.
A recent study of online surfing habits by Hitwise states that:
Web 2.0, a catchphrase for the latest generation of Web sites where users contribute their own text, pictures and video content, is far less participatory than commonly assumed, a study showed on Tuesday.
But there is some positive news:
But despite relatively low-user involvement, visits to Web 2.0-style sites have spiked 668 percent in two years, Bill Tancer of Hitwise said.
"Web 2.0 and participatory sites (are) really gaining traction," he told an audience of roughly 3,000 Internet entrepreneurs, developers and financiers attending the Web 2.0 Expo industry conference in San Francisco this week.
What does this mean for education? I think it is one of those situations where you have a few early adopters implementing, but the rest of the world is starting to catch on. I think there is some data in the study that there are more lurkers than there are participators. I think as educators, we need to lead the horse to water and eventually the other horses will be there.
Tags: 2.0, education, technology, web
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on
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I'd like to know more about the actual numbers, because I saw an apparent flaw in them right of the bat. Let's take Flickr, for instance. Flickr is designed, as it were, for low contribution:viewing time. I actually use a third-party program to upload my photos, and any time I actually spend on the Flickr site is just viewing--and I have over 8,000 photos up there. And usually it's only one person in the family that does the photo uploading, although everyone else looks at them. Ringo might be a better example, because it is very social in nature with commenting--I'd like to see the statistics on that. Why aren't statistics for MySpace or Facebook included? I would have to imagine they would show significant participation--everyone who signs up creates a page for themselves. What about Amazon--where much of the participation is just *by looking at books and what you buy*?
I was left with many more questions than answers. :)
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Permalink Reply by Ric Murry on
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I think you have some correct assumptions: early adopters, but the concept is gaining traction. However, I think time is also a factor. I know many will consider this a cop-out excuse, but as I reflect on my practices this is what I see.
The beginning of the web was to receive content. Web 2.0 sites still have content, and it can be better organized, so finding information is quicker. RSS helps too. But the amount of information is staggering. Will Richardson has said that his writing suffers from a lack of time to read first. There are so many new 2.0 tools arriving every month, that many of us are trying one after another, seeking to find which one(s) we can use, and which one(s) fit our personality. I have 3 blogs, RSS feeds of over 100, MySpace, Facebook, wikis, ning, twitter, podcasts, videocasts, and other options. I find myself running out of time and returning to my RSS feeds and blogs for information, reflection, and distributing information to my readers (mostly just my school).
I have good intentions of participating, but too frequently my needs are not met in many 2.0 settings. I think we are in an experimental phase, trying to determine what tools will meet our needs in the least amount of time. Just some thoughts. Can others comment too?
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Diane,
Thanks for the link. I am reminded of the old Maxwell Smart line (Get Smart), "if only they'd used their talent for good instead of evil." This video does contain some potentially disturbing possibilities...one of which is constantly revealing one's location...which is why TwitterVision is disconcerting to me. I'm not willing to be that transparent.
Karl Fisch has a similar video (2020 vision) which seems to be a little more "positive" in its predictions.
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I took too long on a edit. But I want to add some things to what I posted earlier.
Since we have the possibilities of Life 2.0 becoming good or bad, we have to begin thinking of our classroom responsibilities and perhaps include at least the following discussions throughout our classes.
1) Information Literacy - Like no other time in the history of the world, we must teach our students the skills to determine the reliability of information. David Warlick simply calls it literacy...literacy for the 21st century.
2) Leveraging - A person's network has always been helpful in securing employment (It's not what you know, it's who you know). In a time of world-wide networks, learning how to use a network is something to consider teaching in Business Education courses in grades 9-12. Who can you trust in your network and why?
3) Personal Integrity - We may not want to call it right vs. wrong, but perhaps acceptable vs. unacceptable behavior in the digital world is something on which we may have already lost ground. If we want to be able to trust those in our network, we have to be trustworthy as well. Modelling positive character traits to our students is more important than ever before.
Just some thoughts.
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Permalink Reply by Christopher Potter on
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I think those are great points. Sometimes I feel like the painter standing too close to the canvas. It can sometimes be laptops, wireless, more speed, more connectivity, when we need to re-institute the ideas you are talking about.
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Permalink Reply by Cerese Godfrey on
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I am slow in exploring Web 2.0. As a district level TC, I spend WAY to much time on admin and tech stuff and not nearly enough time on the instructional aspect of the job. I barely manage to keep the technology running so others can “use” it.
Ric is right about the vast amount of tools and sites to try and interact with. By the time I visit and read recent articles, blogs, forums, and I run out of time to really interact with any of them.
My task now is to see which ones will be best utilize and become more proficient in them first before I move on to others. My time now sees like the wide brook that is very shallow.
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