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FridayLive!
 

Resources for Online Synchronous Sessions - TLT Group's Online Institute
 
Spotlight on Web 2.0
 What's Happening to All of Us? 
Promising New Directions on the Horizon - and Already Here.
 

Steve Gilbert, TLT Group, Inc.

gilbert@tltgroup.org

 

 

Drew Smith, University of South Florida

dsmith@mail.usf.edu

 

 

 

Lisa Star, TLT Group, Inc.

mccurry@tltgroup.org

 

 

 

 
Event   FridayLive! Interviews  WITH FEATURED GUESTS:  Drew Smith, Lisa Star
Dates   December 8, 2006;  January 5, 2007
Time   2pm Eastern U.S. Time Zone
Session Focus   SESSION 1:  ORIENTATION
Help participants understand what is happening to all of us with Web 2.0. What is in common to the amorphous Web 2.0 that is significant potentially for higher education.

SESSION 2:  EDUCATIONAL USES
Help participants understand, find, and use a variety of Web 2.0 resources for teaching and learning in higher education.  Describe and demonstrate some favorites.
Pre-requisites   Are you familiar with Web 2.0 applications, terms, and definitions? If not take a look below for some guidance to help you get started. This information will be useful for you to explore prior to the session.
Context   We're rapidly approaching a time when almost everyone will have access to the Internet, but only recently have resources emerged that enable almost everyone to do things that were previously impossible or only available to the technologically advanced.   This loosely defined set of resources is called "Web 2.0" by some;  the term is rejected by others.

Consider the mutual implications of these 3 observations:

1.  Many faculty members and administrators want to restrict student use of cell phones in classrooms.
2.  Many students want to restrict faculty members' and  administrators' access to FaceBook.

3.  Faculty member asks: 
“When can I begin using tools for my courses that I already enjoy using often at home for my personal correspondence, etc.?”

4.  Technical solutions for limiting students’ behavior
almost always fail.

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Web 2.0 Characteristics & Definitions

No one has provided a precise definition of Web 2.0 yet that can be rapidly and widely accepted [12/2006].   So we aren't going to try to offer one.  Instead, we will describe the important and rapidly changing characteristics - and their potential significance for education.  We'll also provide several respectable examples. 

Examples of Definitions
Tim O'Reilly - 2005 This is a great site to start with! http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

Tim O'Reilley - 2005

This is a shorter version of his original summary. http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2005/10/web_20_compact_definition.html
Dion Hinchcliffe This is a great site to find links to terms and a wide range of definitions. http://web2.wsj2.com/

Barb Dybwad

 She has a great visual definition for her version - :"from personalization to globalization and back again" http://socialsoftware.weblogsinc.com/2005/09/29/approaching-a-definition-of-web-2-0/

Susan Mernit 

This author hosts a blog and has some great comments on the "Ala Carte" nature of web 2.0 http://susanmernit.blogspot.com/2005/09/web-20-its-not-just-rss.html

Wikipedia

 compilation of terms and definitions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
     
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Important Characteristics (Key Factors) of Web 2.0 Resources
Extracted from Table of Web 2.0 Factors & Examples [Google Docs Doc]

  • ACCELERATION & VARIETY
    Variety of tools, resources available - growing accelerating, impermanent!; 
    TMI/TMO [Too Much Info;  Too Many Options]

  • ACCESSIBILITY
    Accessibility/Mobility/Ubiquity - access from many different locations, devices

  • ENABLING
    Tools, services available for direct use by anyone from any computer - without installing the "program" on one's own computer;  without even "owning" a computer!

  • FLUIDITY
    Dynamic Content -Easy, frequent, changing of Web sites, info,

  • CHANGING MODALITIES
    Multimedia - Combining sound, video, ...

  • SHARING
    Sharing info, resources, categories;  Social/Group Collaborative Creation/Editing/Responding;  

  • PUBLIC/PRIVATE?
    Public/Private Blurring - [voyeurism?]

  • DIFFUSION OF AUTHORITY
    Non-hierarchical authority:   authenticating, cataloging, editing, publishing, modifying (software)

  • DIFFUSION OF CATEGORIES
    Folksonomy?  vs. Authority controlled cataloging; Attaching and sharing labels to objects (Meta-tagging)

  • DIFFUSION OF PUBLISHING
    RSS and other "Feeds" enable new roles that blur the boundaries between "author," "publisher," and "reader."

  • CHANGING ECONOMICS
    Fluid Business Models;  Changing role of advertisement?

  • CHANGING DIMENSIONS
    Virtual Reality/Avatars;  SecondLife...

  • NEW CHANGE?
    New kinds of change?  New ways of changing? 

  • BEYOND?
    What else?  What have we missed?

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Web 2.0 Applications
Category Examples to Explore
Level 3 Applications - Require online interaction. Wikipedia, del.icio.us, and dodgeball,
Level 2 Applications - Can be used offline but are most effective when online. Flickr
Level 1 Applications - These have value offline and then loading or sharing information online adds additional functions. Google Docs & Spreadsheets, iTunes
Level 0 Applications - Applications that pool content but you can download and use the functionality completely offline. MapQuest
Other applications: Need a visual sample of the applications that fall into these categories? Visit http://go2web20.net/  or try http://web2logo.com/. Additional applications can be included that do not require web access since handheld devices know out number computers 2 to1 - this is an important section to keep in mind.
 

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Web 2.0 Related Terms
Folksonomy Social Networking Sites Wikis
RSS Feeds Semantic Web Mash-up
AJAX Weblog Podcast

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SYLLABUS FOR SESSION 1:  ORIENTATION SESSION

Session 1, scheduled for 2pm Eastern on Friday 12/8/2006, will have 3 parts:

i.  Concepts & Mental Map for Web 2.0
Imprecise Definition - a Web page with links;  acknowledge that like "Information Literacy" , "Web 2.0" may be a controversial or temporary term, but what it refers to is important.  Timeline - how Web 2.0 has evolved, is ACCELERATING.

ii.  Examples & Language of Web 2.0
Ubiquity;  VR/2nd Life; Folksonomy.  Public/Private boundaries blurring.

iii.  Next Steps for Engaging More Actively with Web 2.0 for Educational Purposes
Questions to ponder:   e.g., see  http://www.tltgroup.org/ProFacDev/DangerousDiscussions/Issues/blogs.htm
Options for asynch discussion
Invitation to Session 2:  Our Favorite Educational Implications/Applications of Web 2.0

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Recommended Pre-Requisites for Session 1
During our session on Dec. 8, we will NOT offer explicit introductions to Web 2.0 resources for those who have absolutely no direct experience of them.  We expect that participants will already have done SOME of the following -  see Table of "Factors and Examples" which provides brief explanations of key factors and hot links to related examples.    Complete table available within a Google Document at:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ajbkwcmd3bt8_20crwj6p

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Related Resources

·         Table of Factors & Examples:  http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ajbkwcmd3bt8_20crwj6p

·         Related Dangerous Discussions Issues: http://www.tltgroup.org/ProFacDev/DangerousDiscussions/Issues/blogs.htm

·         Opportunity to share favorite Web 2.0 educational applications:
 http://tlt-swg.blogspot.com/2006/12/web-20-identify-important.html

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SYLLABUS FOR SESSION 2 [Friday, January 5, 2007]: 
FAVORITE EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS OF WEB 2.0

Shifting Responsibility, Deepening Learning,
Avoiding More Overload for Teachers AND Learners
Concepts + Favorite Examples

Session has 6 parts:

I.  Intro, orientation
Lisa Star, TLT Group

II.  2:07pm "Same Activity, Deeper Learning" 
3 Models for Teaching/Learning Roles -  especially apt for Web 2.0;  1 example:  Crossword Puzzle Tool
 


Steven W. Gilbert, TLT Group

III.  2:15pm Favorite Web 2.0 applications
Lisa Star, TLT Group

IV.  2:30pm Favorite Web 2.0 applications ....
Drew Smith, University of So. Florida

V.  2:45pm [might slip] Q&A 
Next Steps for Engaging More Actively with Web 2.0 for Educational Purposes?
Questions to ponder:  
e.g., see  http://www.tltgroup.org/ProFacDev/DangerousDiscussions/Issues/blogs.htm
Options for asynch discussion:
e.g., blog:  http://tlt-swg.blogspot.com/2006/12/web-20-identify-important.html

e.g., Google Docs Doc:  Table of Web 2.0 Factors & Examples
Invitation to suggest/request additional sessions or online workshop(s).

VI.  2:55pm Closing
"Last Words"
Feedback

VII.  3:00pm Extra Informal Discussion
(END no later than 3:30pm Eastern)

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INTERACTION - OPTION FOR SHARING YOUR OWN FAVORITE EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS OF WEB 2.0
What are your favorite educational applications of Web 2.0?  What are their educational implications?  Please answer briefly as a comment to this TLT-SWG blog posting:
 http://tlt-swg.blogspot.com/2006/12/web-20-identify-important.html

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