What is Web 2.0?What is Web 2.0? First of all, what it is not. Web 2.0 is not a program or piece of software you install on your computer. Web 2.0 is a concept and includes a number of things.Web 2.0 tools are any programs that allow you to import and export information. Prior to the Web 2.0 movement, internet use was limited to searching for and gathering information. I suppose, if we had predicted the future in Web 2.0 applications back in the 1970’s (which, by the way, we didn’t) then there might have been a Web 1.0. If so, Google, the leader in search engines, which was founded in 1997 in someone’s garage would have been considered a Web 1.0 tool. Google and other search engines made finding information a whole lot easier. BG (Before Google), you had to know the exact web address of a site you wanted to visit. Unless someone told you where to go, you usually didn’t have much luck finding information you wanted. Google however changed all that. Google could do all the searching for you. You could enter a term you wanted more information on and Google would lead you to hundreds of sites (now it’s in the 100 thousands) where that term could be found. This led to the beginning of the information explosion that we are now in. Then, at the end of the 1990’s, blogs, wiki’s and personal websites allowed you to put information out on the web, which before only the very web-savvy, geeks could do. So, basically what is 2.0? It is just the exchange of ideas, photos, videos and much more among anybody who is willing to give it a try.
Some examples of Web 2.0 tools:RSS Feeds and Readers Google Docs is an incredible tool especially for group work. Students can collaborate on projects and create Power Point type presentation or Word type documents. Google backs everything up frequently and students can never lose their work. No more "the dog ate my homework excuse". If they share the project with you, then there is nothing for them to turn in. You have full access to it at any time. And the best thing? It's free. Jing is great for capturing a picture of something on your computer screen. It allows you to zoom in on just the part you want copied rather than the whole screen as in a screen capture. It also has the capability to capture a video showing on your screen. Animoto is one of my favorites. It will create flash videos from still pictures with all kinds of cool effects. The great thing about this program is that it is so easy to use. It does everything for you, you just pick out your pictures and select your music. Be sure to sign up for the educator version. Glogster is an online poster creator site. It allows students to embed links, videos, music, pictures etc. and is fun to use.Check out my library website at www.woodlawnlibrary.com. I created the whole site using Glogster! PhotoStory is a great tool for creating slideshows using only still pictures. Return to Shelterwood Books and Teacher Resources from What is Web 2.0? |
