Week 1 - Blog Posting #1 - Web 2.0

     I first started using a computer in 7th grade, which was 1984. That's fitting, isn't it? I went to a small, private school in Orlando and there were six or seven people in my entire grade. We had computer class every week and learned to program in a simple language called BASIC. It's true. I didn't have much to do with computers or technology again until after high school as my research was mostly done in the library and my typing was done on an electric typewriter. I look back now and think that learning how to type was probably one of the best skills I acquired. Fast forward to sophomore year at the University of Georgia. I got a campus job as support staff in the computer labs called UCNS, University Computing and Networking Services. That's where it all started; my love of Mac, learning Unix, tinkering with networks and hardware, and teaching others about connectivity. It was as though I understood the puzzle that others didn't, and could speak a language that only a handful of other people knew. The Internet then held so much potential and experiencing its evolution to present day has been such a joy.
     Web2.0 is now a buzzword and more people use the word than understand it's power. In this class, many people have experienced using programs and tools that were only thoughts on whiteboards ten years ago...the beginnings of action research in the field. Now we're beginning to hear rumbles of Web3.0 and the use of holograms and virtual environments where learning and physical presence take on a whole new meaning and awaken new senses. Maybe it's seeing what isn't there, and creating a radical tangibility. We're already closer by networking, closer in communication; and the world has become so tiny that travel is nearly unnecessary. Why leave the house when we can chat with friends in Japan, collaborate with business associates in other cities and states, and do our shopping online? A tiny band of light does the work for us. We each, now, are becoming think tanks and publishing houses, and PR departments for ourselves.
     I'm a firm believer in the what if factor in education and training....what if it were simpler, what if people easily adopted the latest trend in technology because it was created by them, not just for them. What if bosses lead groups of individuals who no longer are out for recognition but for the ultimate result. What if Japanese classes in Idaho were taught by Akiko in Nagoya, Japan? What is the hold up? Trust? Accountability? Misdirection? Credentials?
     Change in technology is happening, literally, at the speed of fiber optic light. Just exploring the Apps to download on the iTunes store, or checking out the latest Web2.0 tools, and seeing educators and those in the corporate world fearlessly face this change is empowering and inspiring.


Site Sources:
Dana Swier Huff, English Teacher 
http://www.huffenglish.com
Go2Web2.0
http://www.go2web20.net/
Interactive Insights Group

http://www.interactiveinsightsgroup.com/blog1/social-media-examples-superlist-17-lists-and-tons-of-examples/