The article The Power and Peril of Web 3.0 by Jason Ohler predicts the next step in technology--Semantic Web. The concept of Semantic Web is that of a new tagging system that will educate the machine, the internet and computer technologies, to tag in a type of universal kind of commands that will transform the information overload that we find today into more manageable and to-the-point source of information. The Semantic Web, also called Web 3.0, would make it easier to find information that is true and completely relative to what it is that we are doing. It would make full use of cross-referencing to give you only the information that you need, compiled from different kinds of sources. For example, he writes that if there existed a code that would accompany our phone number whenever we type it or submit it online, then through the intelligent tagging system, the next time we search for our phone number, it would be our main result. There would be no need for sifting through the many results that usually accompany a search on Google or Yahoo; the Semantic Web would eliminate that. Ohler writes that the Semantic Web is the logical next step, but that we know and theorize about it without really knowing how it will come about. He stresses that educating ourselves about the possibilities of the Semantic Web, as we will also play a role in formulating and forming part of the public for this next step in technology.
In the Classroom & NETS
In the classroom, the benefits of the Semantic Web would be tremendous. As teachers, we could truly find new information about whatever topic we need quickly and efficiently. As Ohler stated, only results that are completely relevant would result from your search. Furthermore, he writes that information in multimedia formats would also results. There would be text, pictures, audio, videos, all compiled together for you to work with and organized in whatever way you prefer and train the system to recognize through your user profile. In terms of student research, it would definitely simplify the process of having to go through a large amount of result pages from a search. The problem of information overload would be eliminated. However, it seems that the problem of accuracy and veracity in sources is not quite worked out yet. So for students, education about relevancy and veracity of sources would still be necessary, as evaluating sources and their origins would still be necessary. Another possible issue that might arise is student plagiarism, which they will need to be taught about and encouraged to avoid, especially since so much free information that is exactly what they need will result from their searches (NETS #5 & 6). As educators, we would need to emphasize the art of reading, digesting, and then creating original work, based on research that draws from all kinds of references and multimedia (NETS 1, 3 & 4).
I would love to one day be able to use this kind of technology. As the programming becomes more complicated, it seems the user experience would become simplified and more streamlined for what we need when we search. It would be a huge help in companies, our daily lives in terms of looking up facts or even managing our normal bill-paying or accounts that we manage, and schools. As Ohler mentioned, schools can use it to create a kind of universal system of student information that will be easier to exchange from school to school. In the more immediate classroom, it would give a whole new meaning to research. It would take away some of the stress of searching through thousands of pages, and allow the student or teacher to focus on the power of their creativity and dialogue with the information itself.
NETS referenced:
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.
Karina,
ReplyDeleteyour summary on the article articulated Ohler's key arguments in an insightful manner. I agree with the idea that if in the near future data in searches are organized in an efficient and synthesized manner, then it could be extremely useful for both teachers and students. The high level of organization in computer systems proposed by Ohler, reminds me of CSUSM's library advanced search engine that filters out irrelevant topics or expands a search topic, by inserting key search words. However, the process can get confusing and at times reverts to search overloads. Perhaps, Ohler's idea bypasses such elements that reproduce overloads and such databases and search engines will offer a higher quality of organization. Though it seems like various trials and modifications will take effect until technological innovators create search engines that have the full on capacity to make these elements accessible (and affordable, if not free) to schools, teachers, students, and the public in general.
Diana Orozco
Karina,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic because I think many of us get frustrated at times with the lack of relevancy in our search results. I am curious how the tagging system actually functions. It sounds like something that is written into the code, or maybe it converts our tags into something more universally recognized? Although, I think Ohler's purpose was to discuss a more advanced tagging system, it made me consider the importance of tagging in order to "educate the machine." I realize that I never go out of my way to tag online content. However, if we all did more of this, it would improve result relevancy. Tagging online content is a good example of Digital Citizenship, NETS for students #5.
Tracy Tiers