Thing #5

Topic: Web 2.0, "Age:28;Mindset: Neolithic", infinite lessons to be learned

02/04/10: I just attempted to read information for Thing 5 concerning Web 2.0 and School 2.0. Being that it's late, and I have trouble reading anyways, it's safe to assume that I skimmed the majority of articles. Actually, if there's something faster and less productive than skimming, then I'm pretty sure that's what I just did. I did, however, read (mostly) two other classmate's posts about Web 2.0, and I wanted to briefly write my thoughts down.

I, too, have never heard the term "Web 2.0 or School 2.0" until this semester. I didn't even know there was a Web 1.0! Apparently, I've been living right in the middle of it and didn't even realize it.

I have often thought about key historical time periods and wondered if those living in the midst of it all truly understood the scope of their place in time. Do people realize history book moments as they are living them? As I have gotten older, I understand more and more that the answer is both yes and no. It's easy to realize the magnitude of a natural disaster or war or election. It is harder to wrap your mind around a "chunk of time"...especially when you are distanced from it or ignore it all together.

It's not that I didn't realize "this whole computer thing" (as my grandparents might call it) was a big deal. I snatched that concept up the very second I realized I could backspace over mistakes and have perfectly straight rows of cards in Solitaire. In essence, I saw the PC as an expensive trapper keeper and deck of cards. I just thought it was a fad, accessible to those who could afford its luxury, and expendable to those who couldn't.

I won't even elaborate on what I thought about the Internet. Well, yes I will. I thought the Internet was a place to send email, a way to get around mailing out birthday cards, and full of unreliable articles. These thoughts were only reinforced by school teachers during the 90's.

Time warp to the present day, and I am just now beginning to appreciate "this whole computer thing." Twenty years of blowing it off as just another fad or rich person's typewriter...twenty years later I am just now beginning to understand the historical magnitude of the very thing I am typing on right now. In this moment, Web 2.0 is beginning to make sense. It's not about email or countless errors in Wikipedia; it's about connecting the dots of today, to make the picture of tomorrow. (HA!!!) Apparently I sound like an infomercial at 12:15 am.

02/05/10: I think the definitions of Web and School 2.0 are consistent with that of life long learning, and they are equally a part of Life long learning. Web 2.0 and School 2.0 both encompass a new generation of learning opportunities, styles, and students. The emphasis on learning and information sharing is no longer confined to the classroom.

Any way you look at it, Web 2.0 IS a good thing; it is important; and it is available for and infinite number of payments at 59.99/mo. if you call within the next 15 minutes.