What is Web 2.0?
by Dr. Marshall G. Jones, Winthrop University - Used with permission. Updated by Nathan Smith.
The first generation of the Internet was passive. Developers built pages and users looked at them. There was no, or very little, interaction on web pages. In 2004 Tim O'Reilly looked at the emerging ability to interact with content and each other on the Internet and said that we were entering a new age of the Internet. He called it Web 2.0, or the second generation of the World Wide Web, one where we could post our own content, comment on others' content, tag, and interact in a variety of ways. Now, the web has developed into powerful online tools you can use anywhere you have internet access.
What Web 2.0 really means is "read write web." It means that we don't just look at information, we build our own. And it means that the applications we use aren't necessarily on our computer, but rather they are on the Internet. Google Drive (http://drive.google.com) offers a full suite of productivity tools that are web based. Pixlr (https://pixlr.com/) is an excellent online image editor. It is powerful, but easy to use. Here are some examples of Web tools that you probably use often:
It is a useful metaphor. It is based on software releases. We start with version 1, move to version 2, or get updates to existing versions such as version 2.2. But beyond being a useful metaphor, it doesn't have any real meaning. The Internet evolves daily. It isn't released on particular dates. And while the term Web 2.0 does help us describe what happens on "today's" Internet, we don't really expect there to be a formal change from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0.
The first generation of the Internet was passive. Developers built pages and users looked at them. There was no, or very little, interaction on web pages. In 2004 Tim O'Reilly looked at the emerging ability to interact with content and each other on the Internet and said that we were entering a new age of the Internet. He called it Web 2.0, or the second generation of the World Wide Web, one where we could post our own content, comment on others' content, tag, and interact in a variety of ways. Now, the web has developed into powerful online tools you can use anywhere you have internet access.
What Web 2.0 really means is "read write web." It means that we don't just look at information, we build our own. And it means that the applications we use aren't necessarily on our computer, but rather they are on the Internet. Google Drive (http://drive.google.com) offers a full suite of productivity tools that are web based. Pixlr (https://pixlr.com/) is an excellent online image editor. It is powerful, but easy to use. Here are some examples of Web tools that you probably use often:
- http://www.facebook.com. We post, comment and interact with our friends in a variety of ways.
- http://twitter.com. This micro blogging site allows us to post our thoughts, share others' thoughts and follow people we are interested in.
- http://wikipedia.org. Users can post, edit, and comment on the content in this user managed encyclopedia.
It is a useful metaphor. It is based on software releases. We start with version 1, move to version 2, or get updates to existing versions such as version 2.2. But beyond being a useful metaphor, it doesn't have any real meaning. The Internet evolves daily. It isn't released on particular dates. And while the term Web 2.0 does help us describe what happens on "today's" Internet, we don't really expect there to be a formal change from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0.
You may be wondering: - What about Web 3.0?
Below are links to some great articles that can help answer any questions you may have about web 3.0. So go ahead and check them out!
As the above articles addressed, we have entered the beginning stages of web 3.0, but not a lot is known about it yet. So for the purpose of this page, we will share some of our favorite web 2.0 tools and resources.
- What Is Web 3.0 and Is It Here Yet? - Lifewire
- Web 3.0: The Third Generation Web is Coming - Lifeboat Foundation
- How Web 3.0 Will Work | HowStuffWorks
- 5 main features of Web 3.0 - Expert System
As the above articles addressed, we have entered the beginning stages of web 3.0, but not a lot is known about it yet. So for the purpose of this page, we will share some of our favorite web 2.0 tools and resources.
Back to Web 2.0
Many Web 2.0 tools are free, but some do charge a fee. Many Web 2.0 tools will offer a free version and a subscription version. An example of this is the Web 2.0 tool I used to build this website, http://weebly.com. It is an excellent tool for building your own websites. It offers the ability to post text, images, videos and just about any kind of content you can imagine. It has features to allow you to create polls for your users, and to create blogs and other interactive features. And it has a free version and a variety of subscription versions. There are, literally, thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of Web 2.0 tools available. The hard part is finding the right ones for your needs. The section below should help you.
Finding the right Web 2.0 tools for you
I find one of the most useful things on the Internet are the sites where smart people help to organize information for me. They will review tools, post links, put them into categories, and allow me to search in a meaningful way. There are a lot of places that do this. The list below provides some of my favorite places.
Building your own network of professionals you know, trust, and share information with is a crucial part of teaching today. And your network should include lots of people. People you work with daily. People you know through extended work, like times at conferences or other professional meetings. But your network can, and should I think, include people you don't know personally, or at least don't know in your daily life. Twitter (http://twitter.com) is an excellent way to do that. It took me a long time to appreciate Twitter and the power it can have for helping me stay current. I Tweet some, but I read a lot. If you are thinking about joining Twitter, this article is an excellent piece on advise for teachers who are new to Twitter. And by the way, Twitter is a Web 2.0 application.
- Common Sense Education is a resource site for teachers and parents. Users can search for software and apps by price, subject, grade level, device, and more! Detailed teacher reviews of each with pros and cons are provided. There are awesome teaching strategies, resources for digital citizenship, and so much more! This will be one site you'll definitely want to remember.
- Kindertown KinderTown transforms mobile devices into powerful teaching tools by finding and organizing the best educational apps for kids ages 3-8 years old. Their mission is to improve early childhood education by empowering parents with the tools to be better teachers.
- O*Net OnLine Help - Tools & Technology Search The Tools & Technology Search enables you to explore O*NET-SOC occupations using machines, equipment, tools, or software. The Tools & Technology (T2) database contains over 43,000 examples of tools and technology for over 600 occupations.To begin a search, enter a specific tool or technology used in an occupation.
- ITLS 5500 Resources This is a list of great technology tools mentioned during an online course created and taught by Nathan Smith at Utah State University about Technology Integration and Innovation in Education. This course is free for anyone to take a look at and learn form.
- The Gifted and Talented Teacher Resources Website is something we have put together here. It contains descriptions, videos, and links to some great educational resources teachers and students can use, particularly those that teach gifted and talented education. Everything is organized by subject and even further broken down by grade, making it easy to find exactly what you are looking for.
Building your own network of professionals you know, trust, and share information with is a crucial part of teaching today. And your network should include lots of people. People you work with daily. People you know through extended work, like times at conferences or other professional meetings. But your network can, and should I think, include people you don't know personally, or at least don't know in your daily life. Twitter (http://twitter.com) is an excellent way to do that. It took me a long time to appreciate Twitter and the power it can have for helping me stay current. I Tweet some, but I read a lot. If you are thinking about joining Twitter, this article is an excellent piece on advise for teachers who are new to Twitter. And by the way, Twitter is a Web 2.0 application.
Some Web 2.0 tools I like
There is no such thing as the perfect Web 2.0 tool. The right tool for you will depend on what your needs are, who your learners are, and a variety of other factors. Here is a list of some of the tools that I like and why I like them.
Web Development
http://weebly.com. It is the tool I used to build this site. I've used and taught a variety of development tools. Dreamweaver, Microsoft Front Page, Expression Web and a host of others. Knowing web development is useful, but Weebly is fast, easy, and can make anybody look like a seasoned web designer. If you can read and click, you can build a web site. Now the new Google Sites is a free tool offered to GMail users, and is similarly powerful and easy to use!
Photo Editing
https://pixlr.com/. This is free, online, and allows me to do just about anything I want to do with an image. I can crop, resize, add special effects and much more.
Online Flyers
http://www.smore.com. Smore lets you create a flyer for an event and post it online. Like an advertisement you might see in a school or on the side of a building. You post it online and promote it on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. What is nice is that it provides you with great data on how many times it was looked at, where the people are coming from and a lot of other useful analytics.
Online Newspapers/Newsletters.
http://www.scoop.it and http://paper.li. Both of these tools will allow you to create online newsletters. They are similar to blogs, but they have excellent tools for posting your stories and information from other sites.
Learning Management Systems
http://edmodo.com. Edmodo looks a lot like Facebook. In fact, it is thought of as a social media tool for schools. It has the same color blue as Facebook, and has a "wall" for you to post information. But use is restricted to people that you invite, and it has a wealth of tools that are useful for classes. You can create quizzes, have students turn in assignments, and manage their learning online.
Word Clouds
http://www.wordle.net. With Wordle, you can copy a large block of text, paste it into the create tool, and it will do a frequency count of all the words in the text. The words that are used most often show up larger. It is a useful way to teach vocabulary and to do a certain limited kind of analysis of text.
Screencasting
http://screencast-o-matic.com. You can record what happens on your computer screen and narrate it. So it is an easy way to create tutorials for students. You can also record a PowerPoint presentation and narrate it, making Screencast-O-Matic an easy way to create content to share with your students, and a way for students to create examples of what they know.
Interactive Timelines
http://www.tiki-toki.com. Tiki-Toki allows you to build timelines of any event. You can share them online. It is an excellent tool for social studies classrooms.
Web Development
http://weebly.com. It is the tool I used to build this site. I've used and taught a variety of development tools. Dreamweaver, Microsoft Front Page, Expression Web and a host of others. Knowing web development is useful, but Weebly is fast, easy, and can make anybody look like a seasoned web designer. If you can read and click, you can build a web site. Now the new Google Sites is a free tool offered to GMail users, and is similarly powerful and easy to use!
Photo Editing
https://pixlr.com/. This is free, online, and allows me to do just about anything I want to do with an image. I can crop, resize, add special effects and much more.
Online Flyers
http://www.smore.com. Smore lets you create a flyer for an event and post it online. Like an advertisement you might see in a school or on the side of a building. You post it online and promote it on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. What is nice is that it provides you with great data on how many times it was looked at, where the people are coming from and a lot of other useful analytics.
Online Newspapers/Newsletters.
http://www.scoop.it and http://paper.li. Both of these tools will allow you to create online newsletters. They are similar to blogs, but they have excellent tools for posting your stories and information from other sites.
Learning Management Systems
http://edmodo.com. Edmodo looks a lot like Facebook. In fact, it is thought of as a social media tool for schools. It has the same color blue as Facebook, and has a "wall" for you to post information. But use is restricted to people that you invite, and it has a wealth of tools that are useful for classes. You can create quizzes, have students turn in assignments, and manage their learning online.
Word Clouds
http://www.wordle.net. With Wordle, you can copy a large block of text, paste it into the create tool, and it will do a frequency count of all the words in the text. The words that are used most often show up larger. It is a useful way to teach vocabulary and to do a certain limited kind of analysis of text.
Screencasting
http://screencast-o-matic.com. You can record what happens on your computer screen and narrate it. So it is an easy way to create tutorials for students. You can also record a PowerPoint presentation and narrate it, making Screencast-O-Matic an easy way to create content to share with your students, and a way for students to create examples of what they know.
Interactive Timelines
http://www.tiki-toki.com. Tiki-Toki allows you to build timelines of any event. You can share them online. It is an excellent tool for social studies classrooms.
Some additional Web Tool resources to check out...
Video: Adam Bellow iPadpalooza 2015 Keynote (1:00:24) (Closed Captioned Version) Adam Bellow's opening keynote features 463 slides, lots of laughs, and even a successful flying of a drone. Adam Bellow's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/eduTecher
Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything
Leslie Fisher UCET Keynote Address Resources. Leslie shared a number of new and exciting web 2 tools and new hardware in her closing keynote address to the Utah Coalition for Educational Technology this year. The tools included screenleap, PrimaryPad, Infuse Learning, CloudOn, CollabraCam, Vyclone, Aurasma, Layar, LeapMotion, Google Glass, Parrot AR Drone 2.0, Word Lens, Celluon laser keyboard, All Star Guitar, and Small Demons.
Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything
Leslie Fisher UCET Keynote Address Resources. Leslie shared a number of new and exciting web 2 tools and new hardware in her closing keynote address to the Utah Coalition for Educational Technology this year. The tools included screenleap, PrimaryPad, Infuse Learning, CloudOn, CollabraCam, Vyclone, Aurasma, Layar, LeapMotion, Google Glass, Parrot AR Drone 2.0, Word Lens, Celluon laser keyboard, All Star Guitar, and Small Demons.
Page last modified - June 18, 2019
