This edublog is an example of a Web 2.0 tool. 

What exactly is Web 2.0?

Ask any of your students about their online experience, and while they may not know or can give a detailed definition of the phrase “Web 2.0,” they are certainly living it. Teenagers are using social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Bebo for socializing. No more passing around the photos albums at parties. Digital photos are now directly sent from cameras to photo sharing sites like Flickr and Ringo, where the posted comments by friends are as much a part of the experience as the photos themselves.

In the business world, Web 2.0 is an umbrella term for the second wave of the World Wide Web, which was coined by O’Reilly Media (www.oreilly.com) and CMP Media (www.cmp.com) in their 2004 and subsequent conferences on the subject. Sometimes called the “New Internet,” Web 2.0 is not a specific technology; rather, it refers to two major paradigm shifts.  These new generation web applications provide an infrastructure for more dynamic user participation, social interaction and collaboration.

These new tools include, but are by no means limited to, blogs, social networking applications, RSS, social networking tools, and wikis.

Does Web 2.0 have a place in education? YES!

Here’s a 5 minute video on Web 2.0. Educator Danae Howe gives an illustration on the next internet generation.

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