Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Platform for Participation

Platform For Participation
All the World is a Stage

Book Review

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything
by Don Tapscott & Anthony Williams
Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Don Tapscott & Anthony Williams writes in the chapter Platforms for Participation in which he states “Using and open platform such as mashups, application programs are not any more self propelled and standalone but rather they are more of a service application. This chapter is very interesting because of the concepts of an open platform and how new web tools can be applied in the classrooms to enlighten the students teaching. Although upon reading the materiel in the book, it is geared more for private enterprise, the written material is applicable to classroom instruction.
A brief chapter description is that all innovations are motivated by pre-existing ideas. Such examples as the chapter explains is “Web Services” applications in which they interact with other pre existing applications and other web base tools for the purpose of exchanging data. One example is during the Katrina disaster when many people where displaced by love ones survivors where leaving notes on local meeting locations. A small group of people starting to incorporate searchable data base, linking up names with locations and numbers to call and central point and so on. No new software was created but rather using already preexisting web tools.
The Goggle’s and E-bays as well as Amazons use these various web tools in a very open platform. By already manipulating existing programs and tailoring to their particular needs, in this case a penny a click they are able to provide an economic service of revenue. The top layer is anther site tailored to their own particular customers needs with e-commerce running in the background and still a hiring to the protocol of the Amazons and E-bay guidelines for online shopping.
What does this mean to an educator and how can this technology and philosophy of open end platform be integrated in the classroom? The chapter does not specifically show one how, but given the content of the chapter, a teacher can piece together already existing tools which are already available and just link them via a small web page for example. Or as many have done, go to various web sites where integrated programs already exist, place these small interactive programs and tools in a central location where students have access to these web tools, combine them, and taylor the sites (in this case) to ones particular classroom instructional needs.


Reference

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Don Tapscott & Anthony Williams, Platform for Participation All the World is a Stage.

3 comments:

Jamie G said...

I really liked what you said and learned so much for your book review. It was a great thing how people were able to search online for loved ones lost in Katrina opposed to just having a large board outside with names of displaced people. Fortunately, I have never been in a situation where I have had to search for someone online that might be gone. It is fascinating that new software didn't need to be created for this, and that people didn't need to be the most computer savy to find people. Jamie Gross

Blighty&CA said...

Jamie, I like your blog site - think the picture is great. Perhaps you can take 5 mintues next Wednesday to show us in the opposite back corner how to post photographs onto our sites. It really does liven the site up and makes it easier to relate to the writer, just knowing what they look like. I'm really enjoying the EDFN 500 class too but will have to get a move on if I am to complete all that work before the end of the term. Can't believe we only have 6 weeks left.

Ms. Son's Fourth Grade Class said...

I wrote my bookreview on the other book and didn't have a chance to read this book yet. Your bookreview helped me to learn more about it and I want to spend some time reading it. It is refreshing to read about a book about technology that is not directly related to education.