I think that a lot of us had already experienced the Web 2.0 concept before getting into this activity, but maybe you (like me) didn't even realize it. The basics of Web 2.0 have been an integral part of the everyman's online experience for quite a few years now. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, and so many others are extremely popular and successful models of Web 2.0 in action. But what exactly is the Web 2.0 concept? Allow me to give you my take on the whole thing.
Web 2.0 is a colloquial term applied to a website that is interactive- that is, it can be affected by any user visiting that particular site. Sites such as Wikipedia, for example, can be altered, added to, corrected, et cetera by pretty much anyone with a keyboard and monitor in front of their face (but look out for those pesky admins!). Facebook and YouTube wouldn't be able to carry on if not for the user-generated content that graces their pages all day, every day. A Web 2.0 site is a collaborative, living document, constantly being updated, expanded, commented on, and yes, sometimes passed off as gospel truth (yikes!). The beauty of such sites is that communication between users is the driving force. It's an enormous conversation, like a huge convention, founded on common interests and everyone's welcome to attend (no cover!).
Michael Wesch's The Machine is Us/ing Us video was very good at illustrating these points. It was dynamic and interestingly composed. I felt that the main message of the clip was that form and content are no longer inseparable; we are free to manipulate the content without the use of professional web-building tools and know-how. Ideas are free to be expressed here. We use the machine, in turn the machine affects us, and we exist, in a sense, as one (too deep, man...). Moving on- I took a look at Wikipedia's definition of Web 2.0, because frankly, I like Wikipedia. I know it might not have the same level of authority as the Encyclopedia Brittanica, but I've always found it to be a great starting point when researching a topic.
The Web 2.0 entry got me thinking about wikis, which I utilize regularly. Wikis work under the Web 2.0 concept- they are comprised of user-generated content, can be edited by anyone, and is constantly changing and expanding. Great stuff. Got me thinking of a great segue into my next point (ta-da!). In Mr. MacManus' post Web 2.0 is not about version numbers or betas, he mentions that the 2.0 concept is essentially "web as platform" rather than say, a newspaper, which is viewed passively, cannot be changed or commented on, and therefore lacks the diversity and continual conversation found on a Web 2.0 site. Booooring!
And how does all this stuff relate to education? The answer's so simple it might be easy to overlook. In our EDUC 5540 class, we are constantly being introduced to tools and resources which enable and expedite the passing of information and ideas between teachers. Web 2.0 resources comprise the backbone of these endeavors. And how will 2.0 affect the field of education in the future? Answer: it already has. Children today are growing up with YouTube and Facebook as a part of their daily lives (you might call them the Web 2.0 generation, but I bet you won't really start calling them that). They understand the value and function of social media, the free exchange of ideas, already. Educational resources such as Engrade (which I've seen used in my HS field observations), which work similarly to our beloved LiveText (sarcasm?), shows how Web 2.0 concepts are already being integrated, used and relied upon by high school students today. It's not like Web 2.0 is the future or anything. Web 2.0 is the Web, y'know?
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