Web 2.0: An Introduction

Developing Strategies to Leverage Web 2.0 for Student Services & Marketing

Sloan-C International SymposiumEmerging Technology Applications for Online Learning

http://www.emergingonlinelearningtechnology.org/pre-conference_workshops

May 7th, 9:00 am - Noon

Naj Shaik, Ph.DUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

E-mail: najuiuc@yahoo.com URL: http://www.ao.uiuc.edu/ucear/najShaik.cfm

Outline• Web 2.0 Framework• Web 2.0 Technologies & Applications• Social Networking & Communication Tools• Market Drivers of Web 2.0 Student Services• Trends• Web 1.0 & Campus Information System• Issues and Challenges

Web 2.0“.. A perceived second generation of web-based

communities and hosted services - such as social-networking sites, wikis, and folksonomies - which aim to facilitate creativity, collaboration, and sharing between users.”

“.. fulfillment of what the web was intended to be..”

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

Web 2.0 Platform• “A platform is a system that can be programmed

and therefore customized by outside developers - users - and in that way, adapted to countless needs and niches that the platform's original developers could not have possibly contemplated, much less had time to accommodate” (Marc Andreessen).

• A "platform“ can be programmed with software code provided by the user.

Examples: Google Maps mashup of crime data; Google maps with Flickr photos

Marc Andreessen http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/09/the-three-kinds.html

Web 2.0 Technologies / Applications• HTML / XML / CSS • RSS (Atom)• APIs• AJAX (RIA / RU experience)• Ruby on Rails• Blog • Podcast / Vodcast• Wiki• Folksonomy / Tags / Tag Clouds• Micro-content• Mashup / Aggregation / Embedding

Blogs“A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world. Your blog is whatever you want it to be.” http://www.blogger.com/

• User generated content: participatory journalism• Micro-blogging short messages http://twitter.com/• Blogosphere: blogs & their interconnected social network• Blog search engine Technorati: Currently tracking 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media. http://technorati.com/

•YouTube video: Blogs in Plain Englishhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI&feature=user

Podcast / Vodcast

• A podcast is a digital-media file which is distributed over the Internet using RSS feeds for playback on portable media players and computers• A vodcast is the delivery of on-demand video content. Vodcasting is similar to Podcasting except instead of audio on demand its video content on demand.

RSS• RSS is a better way to be notified of new and changed content• Push (e-mail) vs. Pull (RSS) techniques• The server side (blog / news web site) produces the RSS feed • The client side (reader) monitors and collects the updated feeds from your favorite web sites• publisher creates content and publishes the URL on publishers web site• Recipient adds the URL to the reader• When new content is added, the RSS readers automatically access the RSS feeds and organize the content of websites• YouTube: RSS in Plain Englishhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU&feature=user

Wiki• A wiki is a website where all users can add, remove, and edit every page (http://www.wikipedia.org/ ).• Private, corporate, public wikis • User generated content• Power of network effect• Soft security model• Farm of free wiki websites (http://www.wikidot.com )• Scalability

• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY

Folksonomy• User generated taxonomy

• Bridging the gap between structure and meaning

• Tags are non-hierarchical keywords

• Tagging is the process of locating and classifying a web page with tag

• Lateral search – can move non-linear between pages that have something in common• Delicious keeps bookmarked pages together (http://del.icio.us/ )• Tag Cloud (del.icio.us): Weighted List of Tags

AJAX= [Java Functions + XML Standards]

• Asynchronous Javasrcipt and XML• Create interactive web pages (RIAs)• Exchanges micro-content with the server • Complete web page does not have to be refreshed• Improves performance and interactivity• Ex. Google Maps• Getting to grips with: AJAX - Web Services

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x0KlK9Zm_M&feature=related

API: Application Programming Interface

• An interface for letting a program communicate with another program

• To integrate content from web site into a new service

• Google Web API exposes Google engine to developers so that they can write scripts to access Google search in real-time

• Google Chart API - to generate pie chart http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p3&chd=t:60,40&chs=250x100&chl=Hello|World

Mashup

• Hybrid application that combines several sources of data to form a unique new combination of information• Intro to Mashup (music video) http://www.videomashups.ca/mashups/mu_music.php?Introduction%20to%20Music%20Mashups • Video mashup example http://www.videomashups.ca/mashups/mu_video.php?Bush%20and%20Blair%20Together%20Mashup

• Yahoo Pipes: lets you remix feeds and create new data mashups in a visual programming environment http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/ • Microsoft Popfly: create a mashup, game, web page without writing code http://www.popfly.com/

• Google Mashup Editor

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/crime/homicidemap/

Social Networking

• Empowers: users to connect, collectively create and share user generated content• Social capital is generated through social relationships

• YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc&feature=user

Trends: Social Network Sites

Web 2.0 Student Services: Market Drivers• Web is a critical component of the educational system• Our student base is global• Internet is an essential fabric of student’s daily life• Students are always connected (due to mobile devices)• Students are actively engaged in creating content• Potential revenue opportunities exists from global

markets for online education• Open software, low cost hardware, global markets

have increased competition among service providers.

Source: adapted from John Musser & Tim O’Reilly (2006).

Trends: Horizon Report 2007

Six areas that will have a significant impact on campuses within the next five years.

• User-Created Content• Social Networking• Mobile Digital Technologies• Virtual Worlds• The New Scholarship and Emerging Forms of

Publication• Massively Multiplayer Educational Gaming.

Source: http://horizonproject.wikispaces.com/

Campus-wide Information System(Closed System)

• Infrastructure: LAN / Web Server / DB Server / Media Server / Backup Servers / Network Software & IT Staff

• OS: Microsoft Windows / Mac / Linux• User Interface: Desktop metaphor• Functions:

– Desktop Applications (Ex. Office Suite)– Store, Organize, Search, Retrieve, Share

• Software development life-cycle• Users on Campus: Many but not in millions

Web 2.0: Issues & Challenges

• Visibility: Campus-wide or Open to public• Hosting: Internal or External• Infrastructure: Scalability• Security - Authentication & Access Control• Ownership of Data• Content Versioning and Preservation • Choice of Technologies / Tools• Tools within or outside the CMS / LMS• Monitoring Inappropriate Content• Copyright / OwnershipSource: Franklin & Harmelen (2007).

Selected References

• John Blyberg’s Go Go Google Gadget http://www.blyberg.net/2006/08/18/go-go-google-gadget/

• Tom Franklin & Mark van Harmelen (2007). Web 2.0 for content for learning and teaching in higher education.

• Horizon Report (2007). http://horizonproject.wikispaces.com/ • Tim O’Reilly (2005) What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business

Models for the next generation of software. http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

• John Musser & Tim O’Reilly (2006). Web 2.0. Principles and Best Practices. O’Reilly Radar.

• Brad Wheeler. (31 July 2006). Open Source Student Services System. Report on the planning grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation http://update.estrategy.ubc.ca/wp-content/assets/Mellon-Wheeler.pdf

Source: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html