Thing 23: The End of Laughter and Soft Lies

So I guess now comes the time to wrap up the class, as all 23 things are finished. I may need to clean up some of the documentation and upload some things to the Sandbox, but we have reached the end. As with all summative statements it is necessary to sum up in just a few words a complex phenomenon. The futility of this is not lost on me. I really had no expectations for the class. I recognized a few of the 23 things before we did them and had a general idea. The work load was similar to what I had expected (read: it was hard at times, but in the end it was definitely worth it.

I have learned about many web 2.0 applications that I never knew existed. Some I'll simply nod at and move on, never to use again. Others will become part of my personal and professional life for the foreseeable future. So what are the overarching themes of all of these tools? The simple answer is that their isn't one. These are tools after all and no one has ever asked about the deeper meaning of a hammer (ok...ok...Heidegger did...so shoot me). But as all theories are essentially simplifications I'd like to propose one here. Web 2.0 is at heart about community and collaboration. The best tools don't simply let you do things you couldn't before, they encourage you to share them and to build on them. I think this is subtly important. One of the themes of postmodernism is alienation. That we, as a society, are more alone and cut off than ever before. Their is undoubtedly some truth to this, although not Canon truth.

But its hard not to look at Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and a thousand other applications and not see new communities forging. Their ability to bring people together is obvious. Now I have never been accused of being Panglossian. Nothing is absolutely good. And I don't need to leave a laundry list to show that there are downsides to all of these tools. But as these things will be part of the communities of the future it is imperative for educators to understand and, yes, even participate in them to remain relevant. I'm glad I went through this class. I learned a lot. I gained some tools I will continue to use. But that is what I will take away the most.