Steve Kinney

Someone asked me the other day what Web 2.0 is and how its different from Web 1.0. The truth is, there never was a Web 1.0 – in name, at least. The term came became popular back in 2004 at the first O’Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference. Web 2.0 is, in essence, the same technology that’s been kicking around since the late eighties, early nineties. The difference is in the approach that developers have taken when creating content.

The original Web was static. You went to a page; you read the page; you moved on. The Web 2.0 is different. Collaboration is the name of the game. Web 2.0 developers want you to interact – you’re behind the wheel. Digg, Facebook, and Wikipedia are all examples of the Web 2.0. This blog, with it’s comments thread (that no one uses), is another example of the Web 2.0.

WikiSpaces allows to create pages that can be edited collaboratively by friends, families, colleagues, and students. Here are some possible uses for WikiSpaces in your classroom:

• A page for online resources that any student can add to as they do their own independent research.
• A place for grade or school-wide announcements. Any teacher or administrator can update the page with minimal technological expertise.
• A place for students to collaborate and make group presentations from the classroom, home, or anywhere else!
• You could use it to start a site where teachers list different online resources they’ve come across - Hmmm…

I could give you a much longer tutorial about how WikiSpaces work, but why bore you with words, when WikiSpaces has a great video tutorial?

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