The Future of Web 2.0

I read Om Malik's article entitled the "The Myth, Reality, & Future of Web 2.0." Although his article focuses more on Web 2.0 in the business and technology world, he addressed several good points that I feel sum up Web 2.0 and its role in education. He compared Web 2.0 to Indian food. Like the taste of Indian food, it may take some time to adjust of the "flavor" of Web 2.0, but once people do Web 2.0 is really going to blossom. I think this is especially true in the teaching world. Teachers come in all shapes, sizes, and ages, and have a wide variety of technological capabilities. There are young teachers who know very little about technology and others that would be excited to jump on the Web 2.0 bandwagon. There are old teachers that want nothing to do with learning something new before they retire and others who would be willing to further their education in terms of technology. It will be virtually impossible to get everyone on the same page. However, if we give Web 2.0 and the capabilities that accompany it a chance, it has the opportunity to change our students and our schools.

Malik also mentions that Web 2.0 applications offer software on demand, cheap hardware, open standards, and tons of bandwidth. This really hit home for me. Every year is constant struggle for teachers and schools in terms of budget. Important programs are being cut, and good teachers are losing jobs due to budget cuts. Can we depend on Web 2.0 for all our technology needs? Probably not...but think of the opportunities it presents in terms of helping with budget demands. So much of it is online, is free, and is able to downloaded. Right now, it seems to me that the fear present when discussing Web 2.0 is simply due to a lack of knowledge. If we educate our teachers and our students on the benefits of Web 2.0 and give it some time to sink in, it could become a very important asset in education.