Who, What & What?

Who Am I?

I am Sara. A mother. A wife. A Family Consumer Science Educator who is currently on "unpaid sabbatical" [sarcasm] to raise our three children. Born in Ohio. Taught seven years in Virginia. Relocated to Syracuse, NY four years ago. A Master's student in the Teaching & Curriculum program at Syracuse University who is on the slow and steady one-course-a-semester plan. I'll graduate when our youngest child is in college [sarcasm, again!].

What is this blog?

This blog serves as another avenue (beyond Blackboard) for further dissection and/or thoughts about topics and coursework from my Technologies for Instructional Settings course (IDE 611) at Syracuse University. Not only will I post odds and ends from class, I will use this blog to inform readers/classmates about a class assigned informational technology. So, for the first half of my semester enrolled in IDE 611, I will be informing readers about [Drum roll, please]: Web 2.0.

What is Web 2.0?

I searched the internet for a fresh, funky video to enthrall my readers that easily defined Web 2.0 --- but I failed. I decided to spare you the elevator music and monotone explanations that plagued my YouTube searches (Seriously, just search Web 2.0 in YouTube!). Instead, I am going to spell it out as directly and concisely as possible.

Before you can truly understand what Web 2.0 is you must first understand what is Web 1.0. Think of Web 1.0 as the first phase of the world wide web. It was a time when users came to the internet to simply find information. This information was simply read and there was no commenting, reviews, feedback, or sharing with the creator or other users. Web 1.0 did nothing for you but give you information. It was a one sided relationship. It gave you information. You read it. Consumed it. End of the simple Web 1.0 story.

Web 2.0 is the next phase of the world wide web. It is what we now access, likely, daily with our smartphones & tablets. It is no longer an one-sided relationship. As the blog author of WittyCookie explains, "Web 2.0 encourages participation, collaboration, and information sharing. Examples of Web 2.0 applications are YouTube, Wiki, Flickr, Facebook, and so on." Web 2.0 is interactive. It is no longer static like Web 1.0. The internet provides a service for users now. Before, with Web 1.0, it was your [crazy, huge circa 90's IBM jalopy!] desktop computer and you. Now, with Web 2.0 you are not only creating or accessing services you are also collaborating, sharing, and manipulating (your own or others) information with other users/people from everywhere, 24-7.

This blog is an example of a Web 2.0 application. The world wide web is providing me a free blog hosting service. I have created this blog and now you, as the reader, have the option to comment, share, post it or even try to recreate your own better version of it. Facebook provides me a social networking site. Wikipedia allows me to read information and now change it (unlike in Web 1.0 where users could not change anything).  Looking through the lens of an educator, when a student uses Web 2.0 they no longer memorize the information - they "make" or "create" using that information. Nothing is static or one-sided.

Though not every post will be about Web 2.0, I do plan to further your understanding of Web 2.0 and give you ample examples of Web 2.0 applications that can be used in the classroom. Stay tuned you poor, unlucky souls who have been assigned to read my blog.

Cheers,
Sara