Web 2.0 has literally changed how people communicate and collaborate with one another. Sometimes it is hard to fathom what possibilities are available to us. What once seemed capable only in the movies is now real! Web 2.0 tools can be used in education to make sure that students are prepared to be competitive and prepared for 21st century jobs.
Brian Benzinger, editor of the now inactive, Solution Watch, has several pages on the impact of web 2.0 tools and its use in schools. Benzinger says that the blog is “one of the most effective learning tools in education.”
Some reasons for this may be because anyone can do it and it is far less formal than writing an essay. There are no restraints such as writing in third person, formatting the text in a certain way, or even minimum length requirements… unless an educator imposes it upon his or her students. Perhaps students are attracted to it because of the sheer freedom of it all. Blogs can be accessed from anywhere there is an Internet connection and people from around the world can read the random thoughts of any and everyone. Ironically, the students often know more than the educators when it comes to using these tools. We are trying to catch up!
Web 2.o is not software; it is a platform to be used in networking, collaboration, and sharing ideas. Tim O’Reilly says that it all began with a conference after the dot com crash. I guess it shows that like the phoenix, Web 2.0 arose from the ashes. Now, the term web 2.0 is seen and used everywhere! I can’t help but wonder what is next.
References
Benzinger, B. (2006, October 28). Back to school with the class of web 2.0.
Solution Watch, Retrieved from http://www.solutionwatch.com/519/back-to- school-with-the-class-of-web-20-part-3/
OReilly, T. (2005, September 30). What is web 2.0?.
Retrieved from http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html
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