Week 3: Web Technology

During week 3, we learned about the history of the internet, common computer terminology and the new social digital generation of today. Computers use to only work on one task at a time. However, in 1957 a large scale computer network was needed and so the modern internet came out of the collaboration and foundation of three concepts; the concept of a military network in America, the commercial network in England and the scientific network in France. Later on, a group of men from BBN created the interface message processor, which was basically the first internet router. The internet as we recognize it today came about in 1969; e-mail as we know it in 1965. In 1973 people started using the internet for e-mail and communication purposes, despite the fact that that was not the main purpose of the browser. New internet technological terms such as bits and bytes, cookies and firewall were introduced and explained as well. Finally, the concept of Web 2.0 and the new type of internet that has emerged was discovered and explored. Web 2.0 refers to trends in web designs in which users create public information, create communities online and network socially with others. This new web has to lead to different student learning.

The web today and the trends we are seeing are directly related to my future career as a teacher. The term Education 2.0 has been coined to refer to the digital tools used to transform teaching and learning; learners and teachers must work together to create and build communities and networks of learning. It is not enough for a teacher to simply stand in front of a classroom and teach on a chalk board. Newer generations of students are becoming more socially interactive and fluent in the language of the internet. It is important for me as a teacher to recognize this change and to address it in my classroom. Students can use collaborative technologies that allow them to communicate and comment on work of their classmates and others around the world. Education 2.0 also calls for a collective wisdom and a classroom that is participatory and adapting.

I found this youtube video to be interesting and relevant to what we learned in class this week. The video describes the evolution from Web 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0. Web 2.0 and its communication and interaction were stressed with the creation and constant use of sites such as Facebook and Blogger. We are now emerging into an era of Web 3.0; claimed to be a continuation of Web 2.0. Sites such as Amazon already use Web 3.0 features that stress the individual’s needs and wants. The internet and its connections are also becoming less recognizable as new devices like phones and other applications now have access to the web. I found this video to be interesting and I liked how it stressed the future of the internet. The internet is ever changing and becoming more interactive and tailored to the individual.