Week 1: Introduction to the Information Revolution

Welcome to Web 2.0!

The first question in your mind might be "What's Web 2.0?". It's not an upgrade to the World Wide Web. It's a term used to describe the collective changes that have evolved the web from a read-only tool where only a limited few had the knowledge, skill or talent to create websites to today's world where almost everybody has point and click access to both read and write capabilities.

The video below, by Kansas State University professor Michael Wesch, demonstrates in 5 minutes how things have changed from the card catalog curriculum many of us grew up with to the whatever-whenever-wherever world we live in today.



You might also be wondering "Why now?". There's lots of reasons but here's just a few...

• It's tested, proven and accepted. It's become mainstream. Think about it: CNN hosts the i-report, there are grandmas with blogs and our teen population's phones might just have become melded to their physical beings.
• Geography presents the need. We need to find ways to efficiently and effectively communicate with people in other states, time zones and countries.
• Remember: we're a values based, performance driven, LEARNING organization. Web 2.0 media might provide some ways for us to create both formal and informal learning opportunities.
• We are part of a digital culture. A 2003 study by Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that over 70% of 4-6 year olds had used a computer. 31% of children under 3 had used a computer! And that's in 2003. Children today are growing up fluent in technological mediums. Many of us still have an accent.

Our goal over the next 8 weeks is to accelerate our understanding of web 2.0 and start brainstorming how we could use these tools. This program will lead you through hands-on experiences that will allow you to start making recommendations on how we can improve or replace our existing curriculum with one that incorporates more robust technology. This is the divergent thinking phase of the program. Once we complete Phase I, we'll be armed with information that will allow us to move to the convergent thoughts of Phase II: making specific recommendations, vetting with business partners like LOB, IT, HR and the "U" and executing the resulting plans.

If you're wondering "Why me?", you were chosen because you've exhibited the courage to enter into the unknown, flexibility in handling challenges and creativity needed to make Phase I of this program successful. We also believed that you'll be able to abide by the only "rules" we have going in to this program: the 7 ½ Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners. You can find a variety of shared powerpoints, youtube videos and blog postings by doing a Google search, but here's the list of the 7 ½ Habits..

Habit 1: Begin with the end in mind
Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning
Habit 3: View problems as challenges
Habit 4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
Habit 5: Create your own learning toolbox
Habit 6: Use technology to your advantage
Habit 7: Teach/mentor others
Habit 7 ½: Play

Quite frankly, rule 7.5 might be the most important part--the sky's the limit as we explore and start to brainstorm the possibilities. We'll focus on a safe landing in Phase II.

The program we'll be following is a version of the 23 Things concept implemented in a multitude of learning environments from libraries to corporations. They all originated from a Steve Abram's article on his resolution to learn 43 things. Here's what our schedule looks like:

Week 1: Review the Intro and schedule
Week 2: Blogging
Week 3: RSS Feeds
Week 4: Presentation Zen
Week 5: Podcasts
Week 6: Youtube
Week 7: Online Productivity
Week 8: After the ball is over...