Web 2.0. Quite the buzz word isn't it? According to O'Reilly's website, the term was first coined by O'Reilly VP Dale Dougherty in 2001 (O'Reilly, 2005). Further in that article he states that "...there's still a huge amount of disagreement about just what Web 2.0 means, with some people decrying it as a meaningless marketing buzzword, and others accepting it as the new conventional wisdom (O'Reilly, 2005)."
After watching the class videos and doing some research I believe I understand what Web 2.0 is and how it is different from Web 1.0. Basically in Web 1.0 the web did not understand who you were. It was one directional. Everyone had the same experience on the various websites. Web 2.0 is about a two way flow of information. The web becomes aware of, and gathers information about its' users. Therefore the experience becomes dynamic and personal. A great example of this is Amazon.com. If a user goes to that website it will allow you to browse their catalog for products. This is web 1.0. However, if the user creates an account and logs in, the experience changes. Amazon presents the user with suggested products based on their past purchasing history. The amazing thing is, many times these products are of actual interest to me.
According to Maryam Mohit, Amazon.com's V.P. of Site Development, the key is listening to the customers. "One wonderful thing about the Web is that when you release something, you instantly know what's working about it or not, because people from all over the world write and tell you (Hurst, 2002)."
The Web will continually develop a better user experience. I believe the dawn of Web 2.0 will be remembered as the time when the web became more than a catalog, or library and became the most powerful communication tool in history. In order to apply this to Education, schools will have to become more like Web 2.0. They will have to be dynamic, interactive, and customizable. These are now becoming possible with Web 2.0 technologies. There are a few tradeoff though. The teacher will have to give up some control. Control is the opposite of freedom. Freedom is a essential part of Web 2.0. It is the liberation of ideas!
References:
O'Reilly, T. (2005). What is Web 2.0 - O'Reilly Media. Retrieved 09/9/2009 from
http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html
Hurst, M. (2002). Interview: Maryam Mohit, Amazon.com - Good Experience. Retrieved 09/9/2009 from
http://www.goodexperience.com/2002/11/interview-maryam-mohit-amazonc.php
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