Why the internet works!

What has made the internet successful and what does it mean for education?

Why does the internet work?  It can be summed up with three simple concepts

• Curiosity
• Creativity
• Connectivity

People want to know.  We simply do.  Web 1.0 was all about getting information out.  People want information.  We are curious by nature.  I think even more so now than ever before.  I remember reading educational pundits in college who stated over and over that all we need to do to create good learners is to help them recover the curiosity of a 2 year old.  Well admittedly as a parent, and teacher there are sometimes it is simply hard to let my children and students follow their curiosity to it's logical conclusions (What happens if I use more gunpowder???)  But that is my laziness or unwillingness to clean up the mess (both real and metaphorical)  The internet works because people want to know

People want to create.  We simply do.  Web 2.0 is largely about creating.  It is about making stuff that is digitally mine.  My Amazon page, MySpace, my website, my lists, my profile, My Facebook friends.  Mine, me.  I am egocentric.  I want my voice, my blog, my youtube channel, my book reviews.  I know there are some out there that don't find this all that appealing, but so many millions do.  So many people want to create their own stuff.  The internet works because people want to create.

People want to connect.  We simply do.  Web 2.0 is also about connecting.  I can create a huge collection of stuff, but I want to share it I want others to read my book reviews, I want others to see my funny video of my son spitting out his first pickle, I want to connect and collaborate.  The internet works because people want to connect.