Thing 2: Learning about Learning 2.0

I watched the Stephen Abram and the Shifted Librarian videos and read Tim O'Reilly's "What Is Web 2.0".

I'm glad I watched the Stephen Abram video because it gave a great overview and some tips about following the program. I'm a bit behind in the 23 Things project because I kept feeling as though I didn't have time to participate. But he's right, I DO have 15 minutes here and there. That's all I need.

I also watched the Shifted Librarian video, which was created by cultural anthropologist Michael Wesch. I had seen it several times before, but I always find it moving and inspiring. I love works that "play" with language.

Tim O'Reilly's article provided a lot to think about. I had previously been thinking of Web 2.0 as referring to sites, but, of course, it refers to applications as well--the notion that applications are moving from desktop to cyberspace, that development is moving from proprietary to open source.

I think that the idea of collective intelligence goes along with the idea of Web 2.0, because it connotes a shared space and communal creativity. What's most exciting about Web 2.0 is that people drive it--people contribute, people create, people communicate. What results is not only shared content, but shared content creation. And collective intelligence results in a product that is more than the sum of its parts.