About 12 Things at Primary Source

Over the next 12 weeks, you will learn about emerging technologies that make up what is called Web 2.0. The 12 Things model is based on 23 Things from Helene Blowers, Technology Director, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County and the California School Library Association 2.0 Team's 23 Things. They based their projects on Stephen Abram's 2006 article in Information Outlook "43 Things I Might Want to Do This Year."

The goal of 12 Things is to introduce you to some cool, useful 2.0 tools that we have already used at Primary Source or that have potential for use with K-12 teachers in our programs and for teachers in their classrooms. A secondary goal is to build community among the staff through collaboration during the next 12 weeks. In week 2, you will be asked to create a blog. As you work through 12 Things, you will be asked to post to your blog about what you are learning, questions you have, new insights into the role of emerging technologies in our programs, etc. Everyone in the office will be encouraged to read and comment on each others blogs.

Remember, the most important part of 12 Things is that learning is fun!

What is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 is a term used to describe the second generation of the Internet. The first iteration of the Internet was a passive one. We could obtain information that we needed or wanted, but with little interaction. Web 2.0 is more interactive, giving the user the ability to receive information as well as create their own information.

To think about it a little more concretely, consider communication. Before email, we wrote letters and memos to people we wanted to communicate with. Then we began using email for both personal and professional communication. Now, there are a host of ways to communicate with your office colleagues and friends. You can use instant messaging to quickly communicate with friends and colleagues or create your own blog with your thoughts, insights, and opinions for others to read. Of course, you can still write letters and send email too. Web 2.0 doesn't mean that tools of the past are dead.