Web 2.0 Applications
Web 2.0 is an interesting thing. CTL has a workshop entitled "Web 2.0! I Don't Even Know 1.0 Yet! I think that sums up my feelings; while I consider myself quite technologically adept, the past two years has been a challenge. FaceBook, YouTube, wikis, blogs - I am overwhelmed. As the web administrator for the Department of Music on campus, I am expected to be up to date on much of this and finding the time is difficult. This class has given me an excuse to learn some of them.
One of my problem with Web 2.0 is will the applications stay available? Even in this class, we have looked at apps that were available a few months ago that are no longer up or they aren't being kept up. Is it worth encouraging teachers and students to invest time and effort into the mastery and use of these applications when they so often are left to return to the ether? I think one of my jobs as a instructional designer is to evaluate applications and watch them for a year or so to see if they are robust and being taken care of by their creators. If they are, then encourage the apps use. I understand no one knows for sure if an app will stay viable, but a certain amount of restraint is needed before applications are recommended to people with limited time and patience.
Another problem is the documentation, as it is laughingly called, is inadequate, at best. Instructions are vague and inaccurate, and it is often difficult to recreate the exact situations every time you visit the site. This is frustrating and discouraging. An example of a lack of documentation is on Symbaloo. I went to the site to find a descriptive sentence or two about the site and there isn't one; there was not "About" page and that isn't a best practice.
I have also found that some apps don't work with every browser or even every version of a specific browser. This needs to be filed under you get what you pay for; things that are free tend to be worth just that, with a few exceptions. One problem is that they may not work on all browsers, not even all versions of one browser. In all fairness, apps tend to be free, which means that the people who run them tend to receive little if any money from their apps; for this reason they are run as more as a hobby and not as a way to make a living.
My last problem is some of the applications exist just because they can be. Why do you need an app to share lists? There were at least 30 apps to create abd share lists. Add it to a blog or a web site; a special app seems like overkill.
Symbaloo
I have been working with Symbaloo to create a home page for work and home. This a good tool with a lot of potential; there is so much flexibility and it is a very visual tool. (I like visual.)
I am also creating a webmix for my First Year Experience class, LA 101. It is still being developed but will be complete by September for the beginning of Fall quarter.