Web 2.0 is a term used to describe websites that can do more than simply provide information.  Over the past few years a new breed of websites has sprung up with the power to allow users to collaborate, edit and add content with a few clicks, compose rich documents, presentations, and more!

Key words - interactive, participatory, collaborative, democratic, platform independent

Web 2.0 as defined by Tim O'Reilly, technology expert and originator of the term:

Web 2.0 is the network as platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually-updated service that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an "architecture of participation," and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences.

Are Web 2.0 Applications Worth Using?

In an educational environment web 2.0 applications can have great benefits. They make identical applications available to teachers and students at school as well as at home, there is no software to install or maintain, and there are usually no subscription or licensing fees to pay.  Web 2.0 applications allow users to collaborate and share work with others more easily than ever before. It is likely that Web 2.0 is already playing a major role in the lives of our students.

The Future of Web 2.0

The future may bring a complete online desktop that can be accessed from anywhere with all files stored remotely. Applications on the desktop computer may no longer matter as long as the computer has internet access. Web desktops such as Webdesk already exist but they have not caught on as of yet. Perhaps it will take a more powerful or well - known company to take the technology to the next level.... Microsoft? Google? Yahoo?
 

Some Web 2.0 Applications 

At the time this page was last edited all of these applications were free or provided a free level of service. Many, but not all, require the creation of an account, but ask for little more than a user name and password. Try them out!

Office Applications and More