Chapter 1: The Read/Write

Web Donna Waters Felecia Wesley

The Man with the visionTim Berners-Lee began the development of

his vision of the World Wide Web in 1989.Before the creation of the World Wide Web,

the Internet was not much more than a network of computers that researchers and government officials used to share text and data

According to Tim, “The original thing [I] wanted to do was make [the web] a collaborative medium, a place where we [could] all meet and read and write”

Man with the Vision continued…Berners-Lee’s dream first came into existence in 1993

when the Mosaic Web browser was developed.With this creation, the Internet went from a text-and- numbers-based research tool for the few to a colorful, graphic world of information for the massesEven with limited content, millions of people started going online to read or “surf” the Web for information and entertainmentAs access spread, connection speed increased and more

Web designers and authors “set up shop”The 20th Century ended with the Internet taking its place

as an essential communications and research network connecting people around the globe.

Growth of the World Wide WebEven with the rapid growth, Berners-Lee’s

vision of being able to read and write to the Web was slow (in Internet terms at least)

Writing to the Web required knowledge of the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) codes that make Web pages work and of protocols to get those pages up and runningThis made way for sites like Amazon.com

where readers could leave reviews and opinions

The Web TodayThe past few years have created many things that

fulfilled Berners-Lee’s concept of the Read/Write Web.

In 2003, a Pew Internet & American Life Project survey found that more than 53 million American adults, or 44% of Adult Internet users, used the Internet to:

* publish their thoughts (blog) * respond to others * post pictures * share files In 2007, another Pew Internet & American Life

Project survey found that 64% of all teens who use Internet, could be considered to be “content creators”

The Web Today continued….In early 2009, Technorati.com, a blog

tracking service, listed over 133 million blogs (short for weblogs)

Blogs- is the first widely adopted easy publishing tool of the Read/Write Web used to create personal journals of their lives, build resource sites with colleagues, or filter the news of the day for audiences large and small with no need to know ho to code pages or transfer files.

In early 2009, over 20 hours’ worth of videos were being uploaded to YouTube.com each minute.

Changes in World Wide WebThe Web has changed so drastically that:

One of the main reasons for the success of the Obama campaign in 2008 was the MyBarackObama.com site which supporters formed over 27,000 groups

Both his MySpace and Facebook pages had over 1 million “friends” and his Twitter feed currently has over 1.7 million followers

Businesses have even began to explore the use of Weblogs, wikis, and even Twitter for a variety purposes, from public relations to customer service to international communications

The Read/Write Web in EducationTimes are challenging for educators

Students’ are utilizing a wide variety of technology without adult assistance

Students are using more technology without the instruction to make the connections

Teachers are utilizing the web more, but not making connections to learning

Educators need to reevaluate how to use the web for curriculum development and expanding learning outside of the classroom

Social LearningStudents are far more advanced than teachers in

computer literacyStudents learn differently than their teachers didStudents and children of all ages are, fearlessly,

utilizing the web The majority of students are connected to the

web in some wayStudents’ openness to the advancement and

technology and schools’ resistance poses a risk of an educational system out of touch with its students

Learners as

TeachersPrior to teaching students about technology, teachers need to be open to learning new concepts. Teachers need to learn to think outside of the box and to tap into new interests so they may be able to make global connections with their students as well as the global community.

Some of the technologies affecting education:1. Weblogs- authors publish instantly; interactive2. Wikis- already published content; edited by anyone3. Really Simple Syndication (RSS)- allows educators to

subscribe to feeds; content comes to the reader4. Aggregators-collects and organizes RSS feed generated

content5. Social Bookmarking- allows for personal and/or subject

specific resource lists6. Online Photo Galleries7. Audio/Video Casting8. Twitter9. Social Networking Sites, such as Facebook

The Toolbox

Keeping Students SafeChild Internet Protection Act (CIPA)- requires schools

and libraries to filter content accessible via the internet & monitor activity

Block large questionable sites Teach children skills needed to navigate safely and

effectivelyCreate own web tours for younger studentsParental approvalWhat should & shouldn’t be published online?

Consider Web portfolio 5-10 years from now?Ownership of students’ work; anonymity, first name,

full name, pseudonym? Consider audience?