Web 2.0, Huh?

Week 1, Journal # 1

Well, here I find myself using a blog for the very first time. How exciting! I had never realized how Web 2.0 actually worked and how many technologies that are in everyday life are involved. It's still amazing to me that there are so many things that make up the term "Web 2.0!"

I saw a quote from Alvin Toffler, a famous writer and "futurist." He said,

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

As far as my experience goes, I have had a limited experience in using some social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace. I have used YouTube quite a bit, but only to view videos; never to upload videos. At some point in the semester, I think it would be fun to do a couple of video journals, I'm just not sure how ready I am for that at the moment.

In that respect, I would definitely classify myself as a follower of Web 2.0 technologies. Once introduced, I try to get familiar with them, and sometimes I will then introduce them to others, but I tend to just follow in the footsteps of others. I have found that there are many things in the Web 2.0 world that I am clueless about, and I look forward to learning about them.

I can't wait to see what this class has in store for the rest of the semester. A large part of me wishes that this course was longer, while still having the same intensity. Does that make me crazy?

I am so interested in learning new technologies as it is, whether they are included in Web 2.0 or not, and Web 2.0 has so many things involved that it almost seems impossible to learn everything. This is especially true, in my mind, since technology is changing so rapidly.

When I first heard that certain Web 2.0 technologies, like SecondLife and Facebook, were beginning to be used in a formal, educational setting, it just about blew my mind. As more and more people are using such technologies, it only makes sense to implement them into education. It makes education more interesting, at least for some.

This semester is definitely going to be a fun one, and I think that over the next six weeks, I will have a much better understanding of Web 2.0. Who knows, maybe I'll even become a leader one day. :o)

I found this video quite interesting. It's pretty fast paced, but I thought it was interesting to see how Web 2.0 works.