Web 2.oh!: What is it?

For some, it may seem complicated and for others it's easy to understand and it is arguably something that has transformed the way that we connect to others and how we use the Internet. According to JISC Technology and Standards Watch (2007),"The short answer, for many people, is to make reference to a group of technologies which have become deeply associated with the term: blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds, etc., which facilitate a more socially connected web where everyone is able to add to and edit the information space. The longer answer is rather more complicated and pulls in economics, technology and new ideas about the connected society" (p. 5). 

Overall, Web 2.0 has revolutionized the way we are able to communicate and network across the globe, from one computer to another. It has made the availability of resources easily accessible and through this has changed Education and what is being done in the classroom.

Web 2.0 Technology Examples 

As mentioned above some of these technologies include wikis, podcasts and even this very blog is included. Below are some specific examples of Web 2.0 technologies along with a brief description of how they can be used, you may recognize most or all of them!

Google Docs (Drive)- Allows for creation of documents such as spreadsheets and word documents and has storage capabilities so you can store documents, images and more in your 'Drive' and will be able to access and share from any computer. Must have a Google account!

Pandora- Is free personalized radio that you access on the web, you can create your own playlists, or look for some that are already created by artist, genre etc. 

Voki- Is an educational tool, and you can create a talking, animated character. Creating a basic account is free and you can personalize your Voki by changing the background, hair and eye color, clothes and you can even give it a voice! Either your own or you can choose from a list. 

Craigslist- Is basically a huge classified ads section of a newspaper, only without the newspaper. this site allows for people to sell just about anything they want over the internet.

YouTube- Is used to share videos over the internet, you can create your own channel and post videos or watch videos for entertainment or education.

WordPress- Is a blog and a content management system which contains a variety of plug-ins for various things, for example to create a response form like a survey.  

 

flickr- Allows for photo sharing and photo managing over the web. You can store all of your photos on this website and even share them with friends and family!

Twitter- A social networking site which allows for people with accounts to send out 140 character long text messages to update all of your followers on what's going on. Information received via Twitter is up-to-date and is preferred by the younger generations as a way to stay 'connected'

 

Reflection on Personal Use of Web 2.0

Let me give you a personal perspective on my own utilization of Web 2.0 technologies. I was born in the 80s and grew up primarily in the 90s when technology wasn't as big a part of education as it is now. As a young child I would always get excited when my class would be walked down to the small computer lab on campus, where we would partner up and insert a cd which would provide us with a lot of fun and interesting information. This was a treat for us all! The good thing about those of us who were born in the 80s, is that we grew up in the middle of a rapidly advancing technology era, so although we may not have grown up with a cell phone in our hands we certainly could adapt quickly to all of the new technology constantly emerging around us. For those of us who work in Education, we can appreciate the importance of technology and its use in the classroom. I use Web 2.0 technologies for personal use and for work as well, I know that social networking is important to get the word out about important events or information and this is where I tend to use social networking the most. As a student, I have also used some Web 2.0 technologies that I only became aware of in my Technology and Pedagogy class and there are so many more resources out there that can be used to share information and connect with others in our area or around the world!

Importance in Education

"There are strong links between Web 2.0 and socio-cultural theories of learning, which see active and authentic learning taking place best where knowledge can be constructed actively by learners who are supported in communal social settings" (Carmichael et al., p. 10). This statement makes a good point about the use of Web 2.0 technologies in education from PK-College. Many students these days already use some of these technologies for personal use, why not integrate them into the classroom? These are tools for teachers and professors to utilize in an effective way in their lessons, whether it's creating a video presentation of learned content or learning how to post a message to a social networking site such as Twitter or Facebook. Using these technologies in the classroom help students to realize that they can connect to others, collaborate and share information, and investigate what is out in the world wide web.

So, those of you who are educators or future educators take a look at the emerging technologies and find a way to incorporate a few of them into your lessons. This will keep you and your students informed as there is an educational reform in the air.


References

Anderson, P. (2007). What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies and implications for  

            education. United Kingdom: JISC Technology & Standards Watch.

Carmichael, P., Carr, D., Crook, C., Laurillard, D., Noss, R., & Selwyn, N. (2007).

            Education 2.0? Designing the web for teaching and learning. Teaching and

            Learning Research Programme.