Web 2.0: What is it?

To understand what Web 2.0 is, we have to look at how the Internet evolved. The first generation of the web opened the door for information sharing on a massive scale. A handful of users provided most of the World Wide Web’s content in those early days because most people lacked the technical skills to build websites. So the majority of early web users consumed content but did not contribute any themselves (Cormode and Krishnamurthy). But the second generation of the web has changed that. The term Web 2.0 was introduced in 2004 and is used to describe a series of collaborative technologies that enable any user to create his or her own content. These technologies require minimal Web design or HTML skills and include blogs, wikis, RSS (really simple syndication) feeds; podcasts and vodcasts, social networking sites, user-added reviews and ratings, tagging and folksonomies.

While the Internet might have been an occasional research tool for students 15 years ago, for today’s college students it is a lifeline. Ninety-three percent of teens and young adults ages 12-29 were online in 2009, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project (Lenhart). Just as important to that generation are the Web 2.0 tools. Donna J. Baumbach cited a pair of earlier Pew studies (2008 and 2009) in making her case for using them in the classroom:

[Sixty-four] percent of K-12 students have created Web 2.0 content: 47 percent use photo sharing sites; 55 percent maintain space on a social networking site. … At least 57 percent have watched videos on the Web, and 26 percent have remixed materials to create something new. (16)

Current college students use these technologies daily, and most of their learning has come through trial and error and often without adult supervision (Baumbach 16). Educators must incorporate these technologies into the classroom to teach students about intellectual property, privacy, social skills, evaluation and the role of new tools for academic purposes.



This blog will look at several ways to incorporate Web 2.0 in the classroom, including Animoto, Glogster, Photo Story, Prezi and Xtranormal.

Disclosure: This introduction was modified only slightly from a paper I wrote in June for a class at Florida State. That paper focused on Xtranormal and the full text is available through a link below.

Works Cited:

Baumbach, Donna J. "Web 2.0 & You." Knowledge Quest 37.4 (2009): 12-19. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 June 2011.

Cormode, Graham, and Balachander Krishnamurthy. "Key Differences Between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0." First Monday 13.6 (2008). 2 June 2008. Web. 29 June 2011.

Lenhart, Amanda. ""How Do [They] Even Do That?" Myths and Facts About the Impact of Technology on the Lives of American Teens." Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Pew Research Center, 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Price, Elizabeth L. Integrating Web 2.0 Technologies into the College Classroom Using Xtranormal. Florida State University, 15 June 2011. Web.  14 Nov. 2011.