An+Introduction+to+Web+2.0

Introduction to Web 2.0 in Under 5 minutes....

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What is Web 2.0? To understand what the term //literacy 2.0// means, it's necessary to think of it as a new mind-set—or a new //ethos//—as well as a new practice. To begin, however, it's useful to look at the concept of Web 2.0 as opposed to Web 1.0. Web 2.0 describes a business model whereby Internet companies actually provide a //service// rather than sell products or promote ready-made, static artifacts. For example, Ofoto—Web 1.0—was designed to sell digital-to-paper photo processing to users. This venture did not have staying power. In contrast, Web 2.0's Flickr is a user-generated content management system designed simply as a host for photo sharing. It accrues its revenue through site-based advertising. Web 2.0 businesses use enabling services—such as the Google suite of services, YouTube, Wikipedia, and the like—that live on the Web rather than on individual computers; that is, they are part of our "Webtops" and not our desktops. The shift to Web 2.0 is not simply the development of new ways of doing things, as in an upgrade. Rather, it's an entirely new worldview (Lankshear & Knobel, 2006).

What are people saying about Web 2.0? Why is it important?

Functions of Web 2.0 A Web 2.0 ethos values and promotes three interlocking functions or practices: participation, collaboration, and distribution. Amateurs and hobbyists can participate in the production of media on an unprecedented scale, thanks to online services for managing user-generated content and increasingly affordable editing software. The Internet makes room for all kinds of interests and affinities, and more and more online services are making it possible for people to leave comments, review posted work, and respond to others' opinions in truly participatory ways. Blogs and their comment functions are a case in point, as are fan fiction sites and their provisions for reviewer feedback. Online multiuser writing and remix spaces support collaboration. Wikis; collaborative blogs; massively multiplayer online games; Creative Commons music and video archives that encourage users to remix existing works (see [|http://ccmixter.org]); and free or almost-free communication media (for example, Internet telephony and instant messaging) all support varied forms of joint text production or provide the means for completing complex tasks even when working with relative strangers. The third component, distribution, operates on two dimensions from a Web 2.0 perspective: first, on the scale of sharing resources and relationships made possible by digital networks and hosting spaces; second, in terms of tapping into distributed expertise and knowledge. User-generated content sites like [|YouTube.com] and [|AnimeMusicVideos.org] have facilitated a significant shift for everyday people, from simply consuming media to actively producing media for real and interested audiences, no matter how small or esoteric. Access to distributed knowledge and expertise occurs by means of the Internet's extended networks and in affinity spaces online. Groups formed around shared interests can collate and disperse information online to help those who might otherwise not have access to such knowledge (for example, in health issue support groups or alternative news reporting groups). These same networks also make it possible for users to access a range of information about and opinions on new developments in any number of fields.

Links to Web 2.0 Tools []

100 Easy-to-Use Web 2.0 Tools []

Marzano's //Strategies that Work// incorporated into Web 2.0 []

Easy Web 2.0 Tools for Young Learners [|http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/02/02/top-10-web-20-tools-for-y...]

Best Web 2.0 Applications for the Elementary School [|http://langwitches.org/blog/2007/12/22/best-web-20-applications-for...]

Literacy 2.0: Online Resources

 * **Blogger (**[|**www.blogger.com**]**):** A free blog hosting service.
 * **Delicious (**[|**www.delicious.com**]**):** A free social, Internet bookmarking service.
 * **Fanfiction.net (**[|**www.fanfiction.net**]**):** A public affinity space devoted to writing and reviewing fan fiction.
 * **Freeplay Music (**[|**www.freeplaymusic.com**]**):** Music and sound effects with user-friendly copyright.
 * **Jing Project (**[|**www.jingproject.com**]**):** A free application that enables you to capture whatever's happening on your computer desktop as a video with voiceover.
 * **Google Docs (**[|**http://docs.google.com**]**):** A free collaborative, but private, writing space; it lends itself to setting up fan fiction writing and reviewing in schools where privacy concerns rule out the use of [|Fanfiction.net].
 * **KeepVid (**[|**www.keepvid.com**]**):** Enables you to download a copy of videos from such sites as [|YouTube.com].
 * **NewLits.org (**[|**www.newlits.org**]**):** A professional development wiki focused on new literacies and digital technologies for middle school educators.
 * **Ning (**[|**www.ning.com**]**):** A free social networking service that users can tailor to specific group needs.
 * **OurMedia (**[|**http://ourmedia.org**]**):** A free hosting site for images, texts, and video and audio clips. It is dedicated "to spreading grassroots creativity."
 * **PB wiki (**[|**http://pbwiki.com/academic.wiki**]**):** A free wiki platform.
 * **Podomatic (**[|**http://podomatic.com**]**):** A free hosting site for podcasts.
 * **Shambles (**[|**www.shambles.net/web2**]**):** A one-stop portal for accessing a range of Web 2.0 applications and services.
 * **VoiceThread (**[|**www.voicethread.com**]**):** A user-generated content hosting site that enables users to leave audio and video comments on posts.
 * **Zamzar (**[|**www.zamzar.com**]**):** A free online file conversion program.