What is Web 2.0?

A JISC TechWatch report 'What is Web 2.0?' was published in February 2007. The report establishes that Web 2.0 is more than a set of 'cool' and new technologies and services, important though some of these are.

The report:

• separates out the discussion of web technologies (ongoing Web development overseen by W3C),
• from recent applications and services (social software), and
• attempts to understand the manifestations and adoption of these services (the 'big ideas'),

in order that decision makers will find it easier to understand and act on the strategic implications of 'Web 2.0'.

Web 2.0 Usage

An interesting 10 page survey has been posted in March 2007 by David White of the JISC funded 'SPIRE' project:

Results of the 'Online Tool Use Survey' undertaken by the JISC funded SPIRE project

Note: The majority of survey respondents however probably had some interest in learning online to have initially discovered the questionnaire as it was held via the University of Oxford's online short courses page.

It is posted here as a possible idea for practitioners to undertake their own college or class online survey. Possible hosting might be available through www.zoomerang.com or www.surveymonkey.com

Becta: Emerging technologies for learning

Volume 2 (2007) of 'Emerging technologies for learning' includes illuminating articles on:

• Emerging trends in social software for education
• Learning networks in practice
• The challenge of new digital literacies and the 'hidden curriculum'
• How to teach with technology: keeping both teachers and students comfortable in an era of exponential change
• Games in education
• Ubiquitous computing.

You can download the publication from the Becta website or follow links to individual sections.