From my understanding a PLE is a great example of how Web 2.0 attracts the common user. Web 2.0 facilitates the integration of whatever you feel necessary. PLE is basically it’s platform of use. It’s how you learn or stay informed with the ease of Web 2.0. SocialLearn simply diagrams the many possibilities. It is kind of the end result of what this class will show us how to do. If that makes any sense. Everyone has a different view on it but a PLE is an easy to organize and easily explore your options and learning tools. It’s main function is just providing it all in one place as opposed to constantly stringing everything together and bookmarking the old way. A more in depth look can be read about at this users simple but informational blog on Optusnet.

From my understanding Web 2.0 seems to be the new age communicable internet. Phase one, which was Web 1.0, was just the first step and unexpectedly morphed intself into a means of networking. The first phase was just the base for the project we know today. It set up many different boxes of information that multiplied so fast that Web 2.0 was born out of the boom. So much information with such a demand for all that a system was needed to organize it all and at the same time appeal to the consumer. Web 2.0 has been put together in such a way that it is making the web feel like every person owns it. Free media is distributed in such a way that it can be altered, shared or just exposed as a means of communication as opposed to the typical emails of the passed. Networking has jumped to the extent of not just linking to one site or two sites, but jumping to thousands and millions. Google has definitely been a good example with its targeted ads. You can’t search or type anything without seeing information linked to keywords by the next click. Mashups now collaborate internet sites and services making a new level of understanding possible for different aspects of the information highway. Google Maps collaborates with different sights to provide the real time view of streets and cities, very different from the regular old 2D maps. Organization has changed in the fact that you don’t need to ask the server to organize things for you. You can actually do it yourself. AJAX enables you to drag and drop your information instantly. Web 2.0 basically makes the web fun and easier to explore for the consumer.

Slideshare – Understanding Web 2.0

O’Reilly