Web 2.0 is a term coined by Darcy DiNuccci and was popularized by Tim O’Reilly in 2004.¹ Web 2.0 does not refer to any technical upgrades, but instead indicates changes in the way that web pages are made and used. A Web 2.0 site may allow users to interact and collaborate with each other through social media.¹
Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, web applications, mashups, and folksonomies.¹ The idea of Web 2.0 is that software applications are built upon the web as opposed to upon a desktop.¹ Traditional software undergoes scheduled releases and upgrades while Web 2.0 content is constantly being upgraded and created by its users.
Web 2.0 can be used to increase student engagement, personalize learning, and make real-world connections. In Web 2.0, almost any student can become a publisher of their own works. In Web 2.0 the creation of educational materials is just as important, if not more important, than the ability to find other resources and research.
Web 2.0 may be so popular among teachers because it allows them to discover the powerful learning potential that they hold themselves, it allows teachers to find examples of how other teachers are using Web 2.0 in the classroom, and it connects teachers with other educators who provide support communities as they begin new practices.¹
While there are a lot of web-based programs that are lumped together under the term Web 2.0, not all of them provide high levels of user contribution, collaboration, and conversation.
Reference:
1. Graham, Paul. (2005). “Web 2.0”. Retrieved from http://www.paulgraham.com/web20.html
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