Gardner Campbell spoke about teachers being “addicted to business as usual” in the podcast class last week.  While I agreed with that statement, after reading Tim O’Reilly’s “What is the Web 2.0″ I can understand why education systems are hesitant to incorporate more, if any, use of the internet into their classes.  Displaying content on the Web brings up more questions then there are currently answers for.  Not to mention a whole new language.  Terms like “microconent,” “Social software,” and “findability” all make-up this “Web 2.0.”

Another issue is how to protect your work online when it can be viewed around the world.  Copyright laws coming into play for creative works are essential because of the access and spread of ideas and information at a speed not seen before.  Creative Commons provides the needed flexibility of allowing people to display their work under a protected copyright and yet sometimes allow for it to be manipulated, which encourages new thinking in itself.

While I’m starting to understand a bit about how Web 2.0 works and what it’s capable of, I’ve realized that it is only through my own exploration and mess-ups that I’ll really learn what I can experience and in turn share with others.  Although everyone might have similar findings/frustrations/encounters, we’re not all going to have the same story.  It is through our own stories that we feel most comfortable interacting and learning about the technology.