What is Web 2.0?

Hi everybody! In this new entry I will comment upon Web 2.0: what it is, why it is different from Web 1.0 and, finally, I will outline some Web 2.0 tools that can be implemented in the EFL classroom. As theoretical support, I will make use of an informative article I found called “Evolution of the WorldWide Web: From Web1.0 to Web 4.0” (Aghaei, Nematbakhsh and Farsani, 2012). Even though it deals with four different webs, I will concentrate on Web 1.0 and Web 2.0.

World Wide Web (commonly known as “the web”), developed by Tim Berners-Lee, has evolved since its creation in 1989. The first generation of the web is called Web 1.0. It was used by just few people, mainly companies. Users could just read the information, with no allowance for collaboration. Moreover, it was unidirectional and included static HTML (HyperText Markup Language) pages that were not updated frequently. As regards the aim for which Web 1.0 was designed, the authors of this article state that “the main goal of the websites was to publish the information for anyone at any time and establish an online presence.”

Web 1.0 

In 2004, Web 2.0 (also known as “the wisdom web” or “web of communication”) was officially launched. Tim O´Reilly defines it in the following way: “Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform. Chief among those rules is this: Build applications that harness network effects to get better the more use them.” Web 2.0 is a dynamic, people-centred, participatory and collaborative web which allows us not only to read the information displayed, but also to comment on, transform information or create our own. It´s also bi-directional since, as I said before, it gives us the possibility of both reading and writing. Another characteristic is that these websites could be updated daily and that “one of the outstanding features of web 2.0 is to support collaboration and to help gather intelligence.”

Having explained briefly what Web 2.0 is about and its contrast with Web 1.0, I will continue by listing some web 2.0 tools that can be used in the EFL classroom:

-Blogs (Weblog): It is a personal website on which you can write “posts,” including pictures and videos. Furthermore, not only can you write entries and upload pictures and videos but you can also comment on someone else´s blogs. In my experience, I am using it right now with the aim of reflecting upon the different technological tools we can make use of when teaching. As teachers, we may choose either to create a blog yourselves and upload all our students´ works, or we can ask them to create their own blog in which they can express their opinions, exchange materials and experiences with people around the world.

-Wikis: it is another website that can be edited by anyone who has access. During these years I have been studying in the Teaching Training Programme we used wikis so as to construe summaries in collaboration with our classmates. Definitely, it has been an enriching experience!

-Social Networking Sites: they are websites that allow people to create an account with their own profile and arrange it as they like. Some of these sites are Facebook, Twitter, My Space, most of them being web-based. By having an account in these sites people can interact with other persons virtually, share ideas, pictures, posts, interests, events, likes, games, news and many other activities. In order to take advantage of these tools in the classroom, we can create a group in Facebook, for example. Hence, we could communicate with them inside and outside the school as well.

-Moodle (acronym for “Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment”): it is a free software e-learning platform which was developed in order to create online courses with a focus on the construction of knowledge in a collaborative and interactive way. In the Institute at which I am studying we use Moodle for the whole institute. There are ten different training courses and each of them has some “virtual classrooms” which can be accessed by entering a password. In these “Virtual Classrooms” teachers provide us with supplementary information and they also open forums for us to discuss certain topics, fostering autonomy, responsibility and collaborative work.

-You Tube: it is a website in which users can upload and share videos. As videos are engaging and motivating, we can ask our students to make a video either individually or in groups. Then, they can share it on their Facebook group or in the classroom.

-Flickr: It is an image and video hosting website in which you can upload, embed and share personal photos. If your intention is just to have access to photos and videos that appear on Flickr, you do not need to create an account, but if you want to upload photos or videos, you are required to register.

-Delicious: It is one of the most popular social bookmarking web resources that allows you to store, share and discover web bookmarks. Whenever you wish to save a link, you can do so in this website.

-Wordle: it is a website in which you can create a visual representation for text data. When you access to this site, you only have to write a definition, a sentence, a paragraph, whatever you want; then, you click on “go” and it is done! It is really easy to use and very innovative as well!

Here you can see one “word cloud” created with Wordle. Those words represent a description of my favourite animal which I used with a 4th Grade course while doing my Workshop III practices. Can you guess what my favourite animal is?

Word Cloud

-Voki: It is a website that allows you to create a customised avatar to which you can add voicing that could be your own voice or some others that are provided by the site. As regards its advantages, if you go to Voki Home Page, you can see the following ones:

-“engage students with Interactive lessons

-introduce technology in a fun way

-enhance language skills

-great for homework and projects”

Here I upload my Voki avatar with the the description of my favourite wild animal in case you could not work it out!

To conclude, I consider of crucial important to draw your attention to the fact that all these web 2.0 tools are extraordinary useful, eye-catching, appealing and motivating for students but bearing in mind your goals and the goals of the course as well, we should make informed decision as regards whether to make use of these tools in the classroom or not. Technological tools must serve some pedagogical objectives, if they do not, do not include them!

Finally, I would like to share with you a video which not only summarises and shows you what I talked about in this entry but it also leaves us some ideas and curiosities to keep on thinking about Web 2.0. and its effect. Hope you like it!