Web 2.0 & Web 3.0

What are your feelings on using web 2.0 applications in your classroom or in your own teaching? I am very excited when it comes to integrating technology and web 2.0 applications in my classroom and in my own teaching practices. I like being the teacher that uses technology with my students. There are so many teachers that are stuck to the traditional teaching styles that it gets students disengaged when it comes to learning. I am glad that the 1-1 laptop initiative was created because it gives our students the opportunity to become well versed in this digital age and keeps us on our toes with the latest trends.

Are there pitfalls to relying on web 2.0 applications? Yes, there are pitfalls. Some may include unreliable internet access at school or at home. Internet safety could be another issue. Some applications are not free. How credible is the source. Some apps could be blocked by the CNMI PSS server through filters.

Do you trust web 2.0 applications? Somewhat. I usually research reviews about the application first to see if the content or application is trustworthy and credible. For example, Blogger. It is useful in the educational field and safe for our students. At times, if used excessively, social networking sites can pose as a hindrance to students learning. When we integrate our work/lessons via social networking sites, students may be so caught up and immersed with Facebook or Twitter that they tend to forget that they actually had an assignment to work on. 

These apps tend to be free so should we look to these kinds of solutions before looking to purchase a product? Yes. I like free stuff. We should always take advantage of the free applications. However, if we come across applications that require them to be purchased, then there are some sacrifices that we need to make due to the limited funds that our schools have. Teachers are notorious for spending from their pockets. We tend to buy school materials and supplies for the sake of our students learning. I truly believe that we shouldn't let a few dollars hinder the impact of our students learning. But free stuff is always something we should look for first. 

The Power and Peril of Web 3.0 by Jason Ohler (2010)

Which "leap" towards a semantic web do you think is the most simple? Most difficult?

Most difficult are Leap 1 and Leap 2. A universal language must be agreed upon first to tag and sift through information. Most simple is leap 3 because using the shared ontologies and intelligent tagging from Leap 1 and Leap 2, it connects the information and cross-references databases.

What causes of concern does this bring up for you? (be more specific than "privacy") I am most especially concerned about giving away personal information and connecting that information with our bank accounts, iTunes, Amazon, etc. Strangers and hackers will be able to steal our identities and we are faced with insurmountable problems in the future. Another concern I have is if developers are willing to agree upon a "universal" language for tagging, how long will it take to fully introduce web 3.0 to the general public? Could it create chaos and confusion to people who are not digitally literate? What are the effects that it could have to people who are unfamiliar with their information being shared online?

Something interesting I felt when reading the section on Education 3.0 and knowledge construction is what I've heard called the "library fallacy" that to earn your grade you must go to a library and do the research - do you think anything is lost here if all the information is aggregated for a student instead of compiling all the resources themselves.

We need to teach our students other avenues besides relying on the internet for information, like looking through credible sources such as the newspapers, journals, magazines, and encyclopedias. Yes, the internet provides millions of information on one single topic in seconds; but, are they really credible? Just like in the article, Ohler mentioned that in Google, when searching "global warming" in a few seconds there were 33 million hits regarding that topic. Do we really have time to look through 33 million pages? Using the web is much more efficient because information is given to you in a matter of a few seconds, but we must know how to determine whether or not the source is credible and useful. Thus, it is essential and important to teach our students the basics of research and looking into other sources other than the internet for all the information.