Web 2.0 applications have enabled people to post anything on the internet to be viewed by anyone around the word. In the past it would have been nearly unheard of to reach so many so scattered around the earth. Even world renound authors probably couldn't have pulled that off even a few decades ago. As a result of Web 2.0 applications we are now able to to communicate our ideas and information to potentially millions of others. From the United States to the far east, and all across all the continents of the earth people will read this blog...or not....but the point is... they could! The bottom line is, the personal communication technologies associated with Web 2.0 allow people to share ideas with others of similar interests, collaborate with others with similar goals, and learn from others with different perspectives and from different cultures. In the end Web 2.0 technology has brough us all much closer and the world has seemingly gotten much smaller.
However, one concern that I have about the ease of posting anything to the web for anyone to view as it relates to education is that it is often difficult to determine the credentials or expertise that the sources of information possess. This may not be as much of an issue for an advanced student who has developed critical thinking skills, but for younger students or less educated people who tend to believe everything they read on a fancy web page, it may raise some concerns. This has really created a dichotomy, the great thing about Web 2.0 technology is that anyone can publish anything on the net, but the bad thing about Web 2.0 technology is that anyone can publish anything on the net. However, in the end I think that future generations will become increasingly familiar with Web 2.0 applications, more exposed to numerous sources of information, and as a result, much better critical thinkers. This will enable them to sort and synthesize information at a much younger age.
Yes, Web 2.0 has connected the people of the world like never before, and it will continue to do so at an increasingly accelerated rate until the geography of the world is no longer a boundary between people's ideas.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Mike, I like your argument!
"However, in the end I think that future generations will become increasingly familiar with Web 2.0 applications, more exposed to numerous sources of information, and as a result, much better critical thinkers. This will enable them to sort and synthesize information at a much younger age."
I've thought about the similar issue before. I agree with you. Just not sure for next generation, who is going to see a lot of web 2.0 user generated content, if critical thinking is something we can teach in the classroom or it needs a lot of experiences and then critical thinking skills will be naturally formed.
Post a Comment