Where is the web going?

Nigel Gibson

19/05/2008 – Sussex Downs College

Why is he doing this???• As everyone in here is younger than me (hard to

believe I know!)• There is an assumption that all young people

understand the web and are comfortable with it– is this true?

• The web is part of our lives, every day, and it’s having a profound influence on our world

The web….• “Invented” by an Englishman in 1991 (or at least HTML

was) – anyone know his name?

• Built on the Internet which was started in the 1960s• Grew because of pornography

– Really???• A treasure trove of “stuff”• Leads to….

Web 2.0• Term coined by O’Reilly in 2005• A response to the dot-com bubble bursting in 2001• A shift from publication to participation• The growth of social networking

• Inserted Mike Wesch’s “The Machine is us/ing us• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g

What does this mean for us?• We can work collaboratively at a distance• We can share ideas/sounds/images• We can be part of a community or series of

communities based on our interests

It also means….• We can’t believe everything we see on a screen• We have to know how to sort out the wheat from the

chaff• We have to learn new skills

Sooooooooooo• Here we go!