(Week 3: Feb 21-27/2011)
Overview, goals. The world is awash in Web 2.0, also known as the social web, also known as the read-write web because of the free easy to use tools that allow the least technical among us to create web content. there are four basic pillars of Web 2.0:
1. Multifaceted connectivity. Consider all the different ways we can connect now, through services like MySpace, blogs, wikis, listservs, email... the list goes on and on. Most of them are free, easy to use, scalable and customizable.
2. Free read-write tools. Many of the tools that characterize Web 2.0 are developed with programming languages that many people use. The result is that there are lots of tools! Most of them feature a writing component, allowing you to contribute to web content. This is quite a shift from even 10 years ago.
3. A cornucopia of content resources. Because anyone can now "write the web," many do. They create podcasts, YouTube videos, MySpace pages and much more. There are blogs, wikis and listservs about every conceivable subject, including whatever you do for a living. Most of this is free.
4. Tools for taming and organizing the cornucopia. We have gone from information tease to overload in 20 short years. How do we manage the overflow of information we now live with? Fortunately there are tools that help you deal with all of the resources you have at your disposal. Tools like del.icio.us, Furl, RSS feeds and so on, help you manage your information. And tools like Wikipedia help you join others in managing what you know on a collective basis.
The goal of this activity is to develop an understanding of some of the basic technical building blocks of the social web, as well as how the social web is shaping education, politics and the overall evolution of society.
Activities. First, go the Go to Web 2.0 site and play. This site claims to be the clearinghouse for Web 2.0 applications. You can get lost there. I would limit yourself to an hour, or whatever RL (real life) can withstand.
Next, watch these brief, no-nonsense tutorials by Common Craft about some of the basic building blocks of the social web:
Lastly, watch this keynote speech delivered by Web 2.0 specialist and author of Here Comes Everyone, Clay Shirky:
Forum discussion question: Based on your activities this week, what major impact do you think social media have on your professional life? Go to our Felix forum and provide 1-2 paragraphs about why you think so by Thursday night. Also, respond to three other posts from colleagues. Discussion concludes by Saturday night.
Enter a post on your ePortfolio, using the heading "Social Media," or something similar. Post a minimum of 3-4 paragraphs of reflection that summarize how you view the impacts of social media. Include references to the material you watched. What are you key "take away" realizations as a result of this activity? As always, feel free to note any bias you detect in the materials that you used. Remeber: e-Portfolios need to be updated by Sunday evening.
