Dictionary.com defines Web 2.0 as, “ a second generation in the development of the World Wide Web , conceived as a combination of concepts, trends, and technologies that focus on user collaboration, sharing of user-generated content, and social networking.”
Web 2.0 describes World Wide Web sites that use technology beyond the non-interactive pages of earlier Web sites. The term Web 2.0 was coined in 1999 and briefly surfaced in 2002, but it did not gain any popularity until 2004. The term does not refer to an update of any technical part, but rather to overall changes in the way Web pages were made and used.
In contrast to the first generation of websites ( which are called Web 1.0) where users were limited to just scrolling through and passively viewing the content on the page, the evolving Web 2.0 sites allow users to interact and collaborate with the website and with each other as creators in a virtual community. As the years have passed, so has the explosion of Web 2.0 tools available for use on the world wide web.
For educational purposes, Web 2.0 tools are interactive and are a great way to get students to creatively think outside of the box and to collaborate with others not only in their own classrooms or schools but all over the world.
In contrast to the first generation of websites ( which are called Web 1.0) where users were limited to just scrolling through and passively viewing the content on the page, the evolving Web 2.0 sites allow users to interact and collaborate with the website and with each other as creators in a virtual community. As the years have passed, so has the explosion of Web 2.0 tools available for use on the world wide web.
For educational purposes, Web 2.0 tools are interactive and are a great way to get students to creatively think outside of the box and to collaborate with others not only in their own classrooms or schools but all over the world.