Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 - What Do These Terms Really Mean?

There are bountiful technologies that are flooding the Internet ready for our use. Unfortunately, part of the reason new technologies are sometimes feared is the lack of knowledge about the way they work. Here I will attempt to explain the difference between the terms Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 so that you can realize that we all have access to and familiarity with these two forms of web browsing.

Web 1.0

Consider this scenario:
You are a classroom teacher. A student of yours who loves car racing, heard that today in history, the first Indy 500 race happened, and challenges you by asking if you know the name of the driver who won. Thankfully, as an experienced teacher you already know that one of the best things you can do every morning before going to the school is to find out what events in history took place on that day.

You know who won because you searched online and found the article from Indystar with the following static web page showing Ray Harroun's picture with detailed information highlighting his triumph, seen below. By static web page, I am referring to the fact that it cannot be changed or altered in any way by the person doing the research on this topic. Furthermore, there is no way to interact with the content - it is merely an informative piece that could be printed out if needed and would otherwise not have to be returned to again.

This web page is an example of Web 1.0 technology. We have been exposed to it for a number of years. In fact, my colleague on this project compared it to reading a page in a book, just using a computer. There is information on that page that is permanent and cannot be altered or interacted with.

Web 2.0

In the picture below, there are several features that you may notice. How many of them can you find? I'll start you off - this page is known as a wiki, which is an online portfolio that a user makes. The user need not be a programmer with coding knowledge - any person with access to the Internet can start up a wiki page that allows them to modify it to their own specifications. Try to find the modifications I made below:

Notably, I was able to take a "blank" web page and add color, text, and even a slide show. In fact, people who view the site are allowed to comment on each page with their own input. This ability to manage, change, and receive input on what I created makes this wiki a part of the Web 2.0 phenomenon.

Web 2.0 describes the interactive way to using the Internet - instead of just looking at a page of information without any further ability to manipulate it, sites such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs (such as this one), and countless others allow users to: 

• tweak the settings of the site to their liking,
• change the color, text, and overall layout of the site,
• change the content of the site themselves, or have other users change the content such as in Wikipedia,
• be versatile with the type of device they access their content from, and make changes on the go.

No wonder the possibilities are plentiful when we consider the prospect of promoting technology of this kind in our teaching!

What Makes Teachers Using Technology Special?

Elmo Document Camera

Today I read an inspiring article which describes certain attributes of teachers who use technology, and use it well. According to Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, they:



I definitely agree with the author's description of these very special people. Part of the reason I am performing this research is because of the joys and wonders that new technologies bring to everyone - technology still is, and has always been, the collection of tools meant to make life easier and better for people. Using technology in the classroom will make students better at adapting to an ever-changing world.