Web 2.0

Struggling to balance learning and safety in a Web 2.0 environment?

Overview

From social networking to video sharing and blogging, Web 2.0 has transformed the Internet, and has the power to transform education.

On his web site Tim O’Reilly defines Web 2.0 as:

Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform. Chief among those rules is this: Build applications that harness network effects to get better the more people use them.

By definition, Web 2.0 technologies are collaborative and social. They encourage discussion and sharing. All of these things make them well-suited to an active, rather than passive, learning environment. But while the use of Web 2.0 technologies in schools can enhance learning and help students develop essential 21st-century skills, concerns about safety, security, bandwidth, and more prevent many schools from utilizing these resources.