Teaching an online class is difficult. It's easy for a professor to stand in front of and talk off the cuff about a topic they know a lot about (and I've been in a few of those classes). It's harder when the course is taught online. Sure, the professor could just write what they were going to say, but we all know people have limits to what they're willing to read. How many multiple page articles have you started online and never finished? A computer screen just isn't conducive to reading a lot of information.
However, finding a video of someone like Michael Wesch who is giving a lecture that includes video and graphics, which is much easier to pay attention to. In addition, having an hour long lecture that can be stopped, started, and restarted on your own schedule is another positive that does not exist in a physical classroom. You were too sick to attend the lecture? Sorry, I guess you'll have to borrow notes from someone else. That's just an example of a problem that can be avoided by working online.
With that said, there are some drawbacks to online learning. First, it takes a while to master. Learning how to create a video of a certain quality is difficult and requires more planning. Instead of learning a few pieces of software (PowerPoint, prezi, etc), online learning requires the use of many different programs, both online and off. For this one class I have established accounts with YouTube, Wordle, Second Life, Blogger, Wikimedia, Delicious, Flickr, and Classroom 2.0. There are also technological limitations - computer hardware requirements, computer crashes, sluggish internet, etc.
One positive I have run across concerning Web 2.0 software is its ease of use. Many of the websites and tools we have used have been fairly straight forward. They have all had easy to use tutorials and work with common sense. Take YouTube for example. Loading a video is as simple as signing in and clicking 4 buttons. They also make sharing that video easy. Flickr was just as easy; I had a dozen pictures uploaded and shared in a matter of minutes.
With that said, there are some annoying aspects of Web 2.0. The worst part of webpage creation is redoing links when new pages are created. Linking our Moodle to all of our sites, and then linking them to each other is tedious. I understand the rationale behind it (all sites are becoming social, even Wikipedia, and should reflect that), but it does not make it fun.
And then there's my previously documented privacy concerns. How much information am I willing to share? Is there a difference if I put that information on one site? On 10? When does that information become a liability? In this day and age, when massive companies like Sony and Microsoft are being hacked and having customer data and credit cards stolen, all companies should be working toward new security practices. I like what Google is doing. Any user can link their account to their cell phone. When you log in Google texts you a short number, which you then enter to gain access to your account. Yes, it slows things down a bit, but I have no concerns that my information is safe - even if my password is taken that person can't get into my account without my cellphone.
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