Web 2.0

Despite never having heard the term "Web 2.0" before, I felt I already had a solid understanding of what it was once I saw the video explaining it.  I think most of us probably understood an amount of it, but the video sort of said "Hey, you know those things you use almost every day?  Yeah, that's Web 2.0."  I was aware of what a Wiki is (not just Wikipedia) and how resources like it are different than older methods of information sharing.  Having said that, I wasn't aware of specific resources like VoiceThread, which looks very interesting compared to traditional threading.

I think the advantage of Web 2.0 over Web 1.0 is fairly obvious (assuming older resources are called 1.0).  Being able to pool everyone's information into one database--whether that be a Wiki or some type of thread--is incredibly helpful and intuitive.  To an extent I believe collaboration over dissemination is a huge step forward in education, and the fact students can now offer input and teachers have tools to help streamline the whole process is pretty incredible.  It all goes back to the idea that students should be able to create instead of just being handed information, and I feel the Web 2.0 concept is a strong move in that direction.