The Future : Web 3.0






Source: http://velocity93.blogspot.com/2010/10/get-ready-for-web-30.html

   

For the past few weeks we have experimented with numerous web 2.0 tools and learnt how to incorporate them into our curriculum. No longer is the World Wide Web merely seen as a place to obtain information passively but has now progressed to be a social and interactive web where users can collaborate with one another effectively. Digital technology has advanced to great heights and is looking to further itself in time to come.

Web 3.0 or Intelligent Web is already being fined tuned as you read this post. In time to come, web 2.0 as we know it is going to be a thing of the past. It is the next step of the evolution of the Internet, keeping in mind that the only constant in Life is change. So why it is termed as the Intelligent Web?

Inventors are looking to fine tune the web to suit each individual user. Search engines will know who you are and what information you seek.

- John Battelle (2005)

"Imagine the ability to ask any question and get not just an accurate answer, but your perfect answer - an answer that suits the context and intent of your question, an answer that with eerie precision is informed by who you are and why you're asking"

The video above clearly shows the transition into web 3.0. Its about moving away from the concept of the Internet being in a computer to it being in everyday objects. What web 3.0 promises is a more personalized, faster method of search that is tailored to our needs. This is definitely beneficial as we can safe tons of time sifting through pages and pages of irrelevant web search results.

In time, students who are exposed to web 3.0 will benefit greatly. Web tools such as M-learning and Virtual worlds are an asset to education. If used appropriately, these tools will allow students to gain amazing experiences.  Virtual worlds allow the recreation of global art galleries and consist of links to various virtual art/books/podcast sites. Students will have access to places in history thanks to these virtual worlds. This interactive learning environment allows conferences and meetings to take place from the comfort of your own home, as long as you have a good Internet connection.

Source: http://velocity93.blogspot.com/2010/10/get-ready-for-web-30.html

In my opinion, virtual words and M-learning will be relevant to higher education. Teritary institutions will benefit greatly by utilizing such tools as students are old enough to handle such technology and will be able to navigate around them with ease. That being said, students at the early years should be exposed to these tools as well. There should be sufficient scaffolding provided so that they are not left behind in this ever changing world.