Web 2.0 at Glasgow Caledonian University

The web is a subset of the Internet. The first generation of world wide web started in 1991 (the web became a publicly available service on the Internet in that year) and it has conveyed/ imparted much information to web users through the years. "Web 2.0" [pronounced "web two point oh"] came about in order to go a step further and make the web more reciprocal: to allow people to conveniently interact, collaborate and exchange ideas, information and media give and take style; indeed Web 2.0 is now synonymous with mutual social interaction online.

The term "Web 2.0" was coined in 1999, but only came to the attention of the public eye in 2004 with the first Web 2.0 conference. Over the last five years Web 2.0 has gradually gained in popularity, with social interaction web presences like Facebook and Bebo now commonly used by millions of people of all ages. Of the top ten websites in the world, three can be classed as Web 2.0 in nature: MySpace, You Tube, and Facebook. These have really taken over the world wide web - only Google search and Yahoo receive more visits than these on the web. Web 2.0 touches most people online to an extent.

Recently the "Global Language Monitor" (reported recently by the Telegraph, Guardian, Reuters...) named "Web 2.0" as the one millionth word in the English language, as it happens in between "Jai Ho" and "Financial Tsunami". Despite its popular usage not only in the West but worldwide people still ask "what is Web 2.0?" and "how can Web 2.0 benefit me in my life, education and work?". Even though few really know the history nor fully understand what it encompasses, Web 2.0 has already enriched plenty of lives around the world, even finding application to learning and teaching endeavours.

Many kids are coming out of primary school these days computer literate and by the time they are ready to attend University they are often describable as "digital natives". They expect technology-enhanced learning and teaching experiences. This expectation can partly be satisfied by deployment of Web 2.0. There's a variety of Web 2.0 facilities that can benefit learning and teaching activities. Discussion Fora, Web Logs, and Wikis in particular allow interactive community-based exchange of ideas and media on-line. These facilities can also benefit projects and allow students out on placement to share and exchange ideas and experiences. The benefits to lecturers and learners in Web 2.0 can be substantial.

As ever Glasgow Caledonian University is embracing technological innovation. Our Information Services department is at the forefront of this with Web 2.0 already prominent in the draft Information Strategy documents. Our Information Services web staff currently administers the official University web logs (blogs) presence and a resultant wide range of web logs for informational and learning-related purposes as requested by service users across the campus. A few examples of a much wider set are the successful Information Literacy blog, the ISIS Programme blog, Caledonian Academy news blog; a range of Cultural Business blogs for taught modules and programmes, as well as many blogs edited by our students to communicate whilst out on placement. The PHP-BB discussion fora utility is also administered by our Information Services web staff; this enables groups of students and staff to engage in asynchronous threaded discussions on various learning and teaching activites. Wikis are expandable resources that allow collaboration online by groups often focusing on a specific project or topic. Part of the model of using Web 2.0 is enabling University members to gain skills in using such facilities. Mature students (and mature lecturers) will often not be digital natives; as "digital immigrants" they need help on getting involved with Web 2.0 in the context of learning and teaching. The exploitation of Web 2.0 for learning and teaching purposes at Glasgow Caledonian University will expand and grow over the forthcoming years, facilitated by integrated enterprise information systems technology.

Advent of Web 3.0

Currently quite a bit of the information that is presented to us on the web is of little or no interest or use to us; can you imagine a web where everything you see and experience is useful and meets your needs? Can you imagine a web where all search results are relevant to you? Well, through the application of advanced semantics, search and delivery of information will be taken to the next level on the web. Information will be personalised, intuitive and more integrated into our lives. Such best customisation of information to users of the web will no doubt stimulate human progress through greater generation of innovative ideas and visions. Information that most meets the needs of web users is the next sequential step beyond exchange of information on the web and leads us into the future of customised web information available on demand, for a variety of purposes including improved learning and research opportunities, i.e. Web 3.0. It is likely that virtual learning environments will be replaced by personalised learning environments. New devices for browsing the web will also come to pass through time, that the masses cannot yet imagine.

Warren Smith,
Technical Analyst,
Enterprise Information Services

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