Soapbox

Web 2.0 is a concept that has existed for many years, but has seen recent exponential growth due to power players such as Wikipedia, YouTube, and Digg. While the term itself is quite nebulous, at its core it refers to a set of guiding principles for developing applications, which utilize the web as a platform.

While the idea of Web 2.0 has inspired and driven a whole new era in innovation on the Internet, it can also be a source of frustration for educators outside the application development cycle. Not only are countless web applications popping up daily, since the terminology refers to such a wide variety of applications, it is easily misused and therefore misunderstood; for many, it can be quickly written off as “vacuous marketing hype”. Educators with little time on their hands developing lesson plans will be hard pressed to spend precious hours sorting through the constantly expanding list of available similar solutions.

However, Web 2.0 in the classroom should not focus on specific applications; it should focus on the philosophies which they embrace. Web 2.0 fosters personal exploration and learning through “hackability” and “remixability”. It works asynchronously. It recognizes that we can accomplish more collectively than alone. “Open” is better than “closed”. “Cooperation” better than “control”.

Web 2.0 tools such as wikis, blogs, and podcasts can be extremely powerful, especially in the classroom. Educators who are introducing them are doing a great service to their students and should be commended. However, integrating these tools is merely the first step. Utilizing Web 2.0 applications helps solve current problems; creating a Web 2.0 mentality solves future problems.