What is Web 2.0?

Comment by nlowell on March 28, 2007 at 7:36pm

Depends on who ya ask.

Mostly Web 2.0 means you and I can talk here and not have to have a lot of specialized knowledge to get our thoughts and ideas out there. We can link our thinking up with other people using things like RSS feeds and aggregators. You can ask a question here and I can offer an answer and the other 99 people here can offer one, too. Maybe Technorati will pick up the question and somebody from outside the community will come in to offer their insight, too. Ya never know who's reading.

I don't believe Web 2.0 will revolutionize the Web, but I think it has the potential to change the way we think about each other. Our space here at ning.com is one example. So is MySpace and Facebook and Blogger.com. So is the community that Ze Frank created in the wake of his year of producing online content (http://zefrank.org).

Because we have these spaces, we can talk, share, collaborate, and create together in ways that would have otherwise require us to share some common physical space/time.

What these spaces provide is a common platform for interaction. This place here is kind of a training-wheels application that combines a collection of resources into a "one-size fits all" conglomeration that makes it easy to introduce people to the different kinds of content.

Personally, tI think this kind of thing (ning.com) is a throwback to the old web portal mentality and as such forms only a very small part of my personal web -- which includes flickr, furl, blogger, wordpress, an aggregator with over 400 feeds in it, my own server space (http://durandus.com), IM clients, Skype, Gizmo, and a host of other tools that I use to maintain my own professional development, entertain myself, and stay in contact with my friends and family around the globe.

Doesn't mean my way is better or ning.com is worse. Just means I like to keep the control of my spaces in my own hands and I've spent a lot of time and effort to develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to make it all work for me.

The potential for using these spaces for educational purposes is probably best being played out now up in Clarence Fisher's classroom in Saskatchewan (http://remoteaccess.typepad.com) where his kids are working with kids in Malaysia and Columbia to create a common project.

But it doesn't stop there, it's only one of the better beginnings.

Does that help your understanding any?

Comment by Eloise Glorieux on April 1, 2007 at 6:23am

Yes! Thanks! I am getting the idea as I continue to read comments, etc. I try to keep up with what is happening in technology. However, it seems like there is always something new going on and I can hardly absorb it all. I have two children that are techno-savvy that I often consult. Neither one of them, or for that matter NO one else I asked had even heard of Web 2.0. Of course, that really intrigued me! Thanks again! Eloise

Comment by Kevin H. on June 30, 2007 at 4:35am

Hi
I guess my simple definition of Web 2.0 is that the users (students, teachers, etc) are making the content and connections and using the information for critical analysis and interaction, thus changing the content and adding new voices.
The ability to become engaged in the world, and not just read about it on static webpages, seems to me to be a crucial part of the shift into the Web 2.0 world.
That, plus the ability to break down geographic walls -- our classrooms no longer have to be in our towns and in our states or even in our countries. We can become part of a larger community of learners and researchers.
I hope that helps.
Kevin

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