Jerry began by welcoming people to the tech institute and went over the expectations for the class. What was your idea of Web 2.0? The ideas were widely varied, some of them very amusing!
Presentation #1: Web 2.0 What is it? Why should I Care? How can I use it? Starting with, possibly one of the funniest videos of all time…about the importance of ASKING questions when you need help! Technology doesn’t have to be overwhelming. This was followed by a presentation of some of the really cool things on web 2.0…defining what web 2.0 really is. We have joined the generation of Web 2.0 without even realizing it. Think about where we were 10 years ago. Buildings were not networked, Macs were practically non-existent in classrooms, much less the internet. Searching would bring up, maybe 1-0 websites instead of thousands!
What is Web 2.0? What is the lingo? Words like folksonomy, micropersuasion, sneezers, viral video, blogosphere, life-hacking, social network, tagging, cluetrain, podcast, purple cow.
What are some well-known websites and not so well known? Sites like Wikipedia have become hugely popular. In some cases, it is even better than encyclopedias because the information is updated constantly. Although people can add and change information, editing is not random and most sites need approval. It is currently the 17th most visited site on the web.
Wikispaces: free website where you can set up your own wiki. The district uses PB wiki for classroom use. What makes a wiki a wiki? It’s online, editable on the fly and by a number of people. What could you do with a wiki in your classroom?
Maps: From Google Earth to Google maps to Reuter news service.
Blogging: Why is this valuable in a class and what could you do with it? Notes for kids who can access it at home, something that a student didn’t hear…this is very popular in universities where entire lectures are loaded on-line. Has this changed class attendance…not really (surprisingly). Technorati is a search engine that just searches blogs.
Social networking: We are in a social world where kids are connected constantly. Some districts have created social networks of their own. Should we open Facebook up in Cherry Creek? What are the pros and cons of that? Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with friends. More and more colleges and employers are keeping in touch with Facebook to keep tabs on their students.
Video: YouTube, TeacherTube, Flixya, Zippyvideo…there are tons!. There are colleges with entire YouTube sites now from orientation to their campuses etc.
Beyond Video: hulu, joost, and others that allow you to see full length videos online as well as t.v. shows you may have missed or that have gone off the air. Who Knew?
Why does the district block YouTube? Is it bandwidth? Mostly, it is content that keeps it blocked. Schools are governed by regulations that do not allow all content to be seen in schools. Bandwidth is an issue, however.
Photos: Snapfish, Flicker, make a book or a calender of your adventures for the year. See your photos online.
Online Applications: Google docs allow you to log in anywhere in the world and retrieve presentations, spreadsheets, etc. This allows any student to go online and make a presentation without having specific software at home. Every computer in our school has Microsoft Office on it which is expensive. Google docs is free and accessible to everyone. Mindomo can take the place of Inspiration!
Podcasting: Podscope looks for nothing but podcasts
Communication: iChat, SKYPE, Jabber…there is so much you can do with these programs from sending files to talking to people all over the world. Some teachers have used it in very innovative ways such as talking to merchants in Germany and talked with them in their native language. Why can’t it be open to everyone?
Social bookmarking: Delicious being the most commonly used.
RSS feeds: (rich site summary) Bloglines, iGoogle, allows any subject that you find interesting to b e sent to your email.
Tags: What drives Web 2.0. Shows which words are most important in an article by tagging key words and most used phrases in the article, and bringing them forward.
Second Life: Online virtual world where you can buy a home, shop, meet people..all with real money!
What makes a web 2.0 site? People create it! Interactive! Accessible from many locations! Dynamic!
