Sarah Miller
Critical Thinking Paper #2
W200-Paula Magee
9-24-2009
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is most strongly tied to and associated with web design and the development of the World Wide Web. Things like sharing information, staying in contact with people and developing web based communities for people to work in a group setting are just a few things that Web 2.0 is responsible for creating. Tim O’Riley brought the term Web 2.0 to the world’s attention in 2004 when he hosted the first web 2.0 conferences. He referred to Web 2.0 as the “business revolution in the computer industry.” This conference started the sweep of new creations in the Web 2.0 world. Since then hundreds of different sites and programs have been created to improve upon and expand Web 2.0.
Facebook is one of the most familiar programs of Web 2.0 to most college students, including myself. Facebook is a way of staying connected with friends and family that could be right in your own home or on the other side of the world. Facebook is education people about Web 2.0 without them even knowing it and it is also mainstreaming Web 2.0 at the same time. When you write a note on Facebook, which is in the form of a blog which is an aspect of Web 2.0. Other things on Facebook such as newsfeeds, notifications and displaying video and audio clips are just a few things that Facebook allows users to have access to and they all tie directly into the different aspects of Web 2.0.
The next site that I discovered while I was researching Web 2.0 was Pandora. This website was created to allow users to tell the site a song and or a musician that they liked and Pandora will create a station that plays similar styles to the artist and song that you chose. This is a form of Web 2.0 because it allows you to discover music by simply typing in one artist or song title. It also gives you the ability to like or dislike the song that they play as a result and that is also how you form a playlist also referred to as “your radio station.” I really enjoyed getting familiar with this website and I a m going to continue to use it in the future.
Another program that you have access to in Web 2.0 is what is referred to as a widget. A widget is a site that can be created for the use of a group. This site is formed so that information can be shared, edited and reviewed by all of the members of the widget. This is another program from Web 2.0 that I w as not familiar with until this class. I think that knowing about and having the ability to navigate through this program can be very beneficial to college students. I know that I personally have done many group projects and it is a true challenge to try and get your entire group together to work on your project. Forming a wiki for your group projects would be very beneficial for these instances because you are able to share information over the web, eliminating the need to meet face to face as much.
The last program that I would like to address that I learned about is Skype. I got the chance to explore Skype on a friend’s computer and I was very impressed with it. It allows you to share with people what you are doing and if and when you are available to video chat with them. It also, as I’m sure you already know, is a video chat program. It allows you to stay connected, in a sense, face to face, even if they are a world away. I got the opportunity to Skype with my friend who is currently stationed overseas. This program is a very modern and up to date program keeping people connected for everything from business to pleasure purposes.
I really enjoyed learning about Web 2.0. There were many different sites that I didn’t even know existed and many of them are programs that I will continue to use and share in the future. I feel like being equipped with this knowledge as a prospective teacher is going to help me to be more effective in my classroom and more helpful to my students.
Critical Thinking Paper #2
W200-Paula Magee
9-24-2009
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is most strongly tied to and associated with web design and the development of the World Wide Web. Things like sharing information, staying in contact with people and developing web based communities for people to work in a group setting are just a few things that Web 2.0 is responsible for creating. Tim O’Riley brought the term Web 2.0 to the world’s attention in 2004 when he hosted the first web 2.0 conferences. He referred to Web 2.0 as the “business revolution in the computer industry.” This conference started the sweep of new creations in the Web 2.0 world. Since then hundreds of different sites and programs have been created to improve upon and expand Web 2.0.
Facebook is one of the most familiar programs of Web 2.0 to most college students, including myself. Facebook is a way of staying connected with friends and family that could be right in your own home or on the other side of the world. Facebook is education people about Web 2.0 without them even knowing it and it is also mainstreaming Web 2.0 at the same time. When you write a note on Facebook, which is in the form of a blog which is an aspect of Web 2.0. Other things on Facebook such as newsfeeds, notifications and displaying video and audio clips are just a few things that Facebook allows users to have access to and they all tie directly into the different aspects of Web 2.0.
The next site that I discovered while I was researching Web 2.0 was Pandora. This website was created to allow users to tell the site a song and or a musician that they liked and Pandora will create a station that plays similar styles to the artist and song that you chose. This is a form of Web 2.0 because it allows you to discover music by simply typing in one artist or song title. It also gives you the ability to like or dislike the song that they play as a result and that is also how you form a playlist also referred to as “your radio station.” I really enjoyed getting familiar with this website and I a m going to continue to use it in the future.
Another program that you have access to in Web 2.0 is what is referred to as a widget. A widget is a site that can be created for the use of a group. This site is formed so that information can be shared, edited and reviewed by all of the members of the widget. This is another program from Web 2.0 that I w as not familiar with until this class. I think that knowing about and having the ability to navigate through this program can be very beneficial to college students. I know that I personally have done many group projects and it is a true challenge to try and get your entire group together to work on your project. Forming a wiki for your group projects would be very beneficial for these instances because you are able to share information over the web, eliminating the need to meet face to face as much.
The last program that I would like to address that I learned about is Skype. I got the chance to explore Skype on a friend’s computer and I was very impressed with it. It allows you to share with people what you are doing and if and when you are available to video chat with them. It also, as I’m sure you already know, is a video chat program. It allows you to stay connected, in a sense, face to face, even if they are a world away. I got the opportunity to Skype with my friend who is currently stationed overseas. This program is a very modern and up to date program keeping people connected for everything from business to pleasure purposes.
I really enjoyed learning about Web 2.0. There were many different sites that I didn’t even know existed and many of them are programs that I will continue to use and share in the future. I feel like being equipped with this knowledge as a prospective teacher is going to help me to be more effective in my classroom and more helpful to my students.
