Task 1B

As you may have gathered from my previous post I am completely new to
some aspects of web 2.0 based platforms, not through ignorance or being
a technophobe, but purely out of choice. I find it rather bizarre to
think about complete strangers being able to see pictures, posts and
personal information and even impersonate people...MTV's Catfish.
Leaving details open to ‘the public’ also exposes you to possible fraud
and ‘phishing’ etc.
I know you will all say 'what about privacy settings, only accept
people you know’, but I really do question how safe these so called
privacy settings are and how sure can you be that you are in fact
talking to the person you believe to be???

However the ability to be able to communicate with the rest of the
world at a click is utterly fascinating to me and as such I can
completely value program's such as Facebook for leading the way in
‘real time’, providing international conversation and even giving many
countries where communication is somewhat censored, a voice. Equally
there is the possibility of misrepresentation of the news, information
and current affairs as a real and apparent activity by political
organisations. The current evidence of ‘viral’ posts can demonstrate
the power of any one individual that can quickly lead to a national
uproar! Typical examples include the sensation of 'Gangnam style' which was the first video to reach a billion views on you tube, the individual who put a neighbour’s cat in a wheelie bin or indeed the dance activities of sheep with LED
lights attached to them, all provided remarkable results and gained
massive attention!

Many times whilst working I have found myself questioning the
authenticity and accuracy of information and research. For me it is
vital that the information  I share and pass on to my students is
correct and accurate, this has lead me to improving and widening my
information sources and digging a little deeper to insure the
information I am delivering is correct.

So many people can also utilise resources online to assist them in
learning or clarifying aspects they may have been trying to learn,
especially where they may be hesitant in standing out in a class to say
that they ‘don’t understand’. People without access to schools,
colleges or other learning resources due to where they live or not able
to afford to formal study, need not be excluded from education or
keeping up to date. It is a really wonderful resource and learning
tool.

The concept of using Web 2.0 for professional networking purposes,
expanding ones knowledge & resources is brilliant. Within my teaching I
rely heavily on the ability to have information at my fingertips, you
tube gives me the ability to experience new & original music,
inspirational choreography from across the world and the chance to
comment and ask questions to fellow professionals and practitioners.

Just a few initial thoughts and opinions, I look forward to re-reading the information to go into more depth and expand!