What is 2.0? Definition of terms used in the technology classroom

Learn how students use Web 2.0 applications in the digital classroom in this how-to video. Then, reference any Web 2.0 application definitions below. 

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 is online communication that utilizes platforms that facilitate online sharing and interaction. Tools like blogs, podcasts and message boards are common Web 2.0 platforms.

blog

A blog is a web-based journal or collection of dated comments on a subject. A classroom blog can be maintained by a teacher and used to dispense information for students and parents. A classroom blog can also be used as a Content Management System, aggregating the written work of students, who write in their own blogs, which are maintained in the classroom or teacher blog. Blogs can also be syndicated, meaning students and/or parents can use a web-based reader, such as a Google Reader, to follow a particular blog. To learn about classroom blogs and numerous blog hosts, visit our classroom blog page.

For video and blog updates, click Register Now

document sharing

There are many document sharing applications available for free to teachers and students. Document sharing applications allow students to create virtually any classroom assignment and put it in a web-based application that is viewable to other students. Document sharing makes it easy for students to collaborate on a project. A group of students, for example, can create content, place it ina document sharing application, like Google Docs or Scribd, and others working on the project can access it from the Internet and edit the work. To learn about document sharing applications, visit our social media page.

message board/forum

A message board or forum is a Web 2.0 application that puts students in a web-based place where they can post a comment about any subject, and other students on the same message board or form can respond to the comments or post comments of their own. The message board is a good place for teachers to get students discussing a particular topic. Students can use other students' comments as a spring board to help get them talking. Classroom message boards are also a good place for students to ask questions. To learn more about message boards, look at our Ning video or our wiki page.

podcast

Like a blog, a classroom podcast is a collection of comments on a topic, but a classroom podcast is audio commentary. A classroom podcast can be an instrument that a teacher uses to share information with students and parents, or the classroom podcast can be a platform for students to share information about a lesson or assignment. Like a blog, a podcast can be syndicated so listeners can subscribe to the podcast using a service like iTunes or PodBean. To learn more about podcasts, visit our Podcasting page.

screencasting/screen capture

One of the most underrated Web 2.0 applications that teachers can use is screencasting or screen capture. People who understand screen capture think it's nothing more than recording your computer screen. What makes screencasting and screen capture so useful as a Web 2.0 classroom tool is the possibility of having students interact with the screen capture, using a tool like VoiceThread, which allows users to interact with screencasts by leaving typewritten or audio comments. To learn more about screen capture and classroom screencasting, visit our classroom video page. 

social bookmarking

Similar to bookmarking a web site on your personal computer, social bookmarking creates a library of bookmarks and tags or categorizes them, according to the user's preferences. What makes social bookmarking sites like Delicious.com a Web 2.0 application is the social networking piece. Delicious and other social bookmarking sites not only allow users to categorize bookmarked web sites, these Web 2.0 applications allow users to share their social bookmarks across the Internet. So, if a teacher wants students to access particular web sites, the teacher might bookmark the sites using a site like Delicious.com and share the bookmarks with students. To learn more about social bookmarking, visit our social media for teachers page.

social network

Whether they recognize the phrase social network or not, social networks or social media are the essential Web 2.0 applications with which people are most familiar. Social networks are Web 2.0 applications like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Ning and many others. Social networks are web sites, where people can post comments and add pictures and media for other users of the same social network to see, as long as the user gives them privileges. To learn more about social networks, visit our social media for teachers page.

wiki

A wiki is the definitive Web 2.0 application, as wikis allow users to share information on community pages. Wiki literally means "fast." A wiki is designed to be a fast way for people to share information by creating content on a page, sharing it with others in a group and allowing them to edit or add content on the same wiki page. There are hundreds of wiki hosts available to teachers for use in the classroom. To learn more about wikis, visit our wikis page.