Web 2.0

This week, we went into a comparison of Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0, and it was interesting. I've heard about Web 2.0, but I never really grasped what it was about until now. It's truly amazing how far the innovations have come in the last 10 years or so.

During the conversation, items such at Netscape brought me back to the days of Dial-Up, AOL Online, and a bevy of other innovations that existed in the past. Today, here I am toying around with my iTouch, and I'm sure that it's already on the fast track to becoming obsolete. I hope that I'm more prepared now for helping my class than I was a few years ago.

I think that's the key, here. This time, I'm aware of the tools that are out there. I try to look at this with a bit of humility---I don't have to be the innovator and creator of every tool; instead, I simply need to broaden my horizons and try out new items as they become available. In the last 1 1/2 of class, I've learned a ton that I've already used in the class. I hope to continue that in the future.

So, back to Web 2.0. Am I embracing this? I believe so. I currently have 45 students on Google Docs performing research papers in which they have to work with partners, and all of this is being done online. I believe that I'm preparing my students for the future; the scary part is, I don't even know that future looks like...