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HTML5: The Web Beyond Web 2.0

There are various ideas of how HTML5 has already changed and will continue to change how we view and use the Web. Scott Loganbill suggested:

HTML5 represents the biggest leap forward in Web standards in almost a decade. Unlike the specifications that came before it, HTML5 is not merely intended to present content to a Web browser. Its goal is to bring the Web into maturity as a full-fledged application platform–a level playing field where video, sound, images, animations, and full interactivity with your computer are all standardized. And it may be a long way off still, but elements of HTML5 are already reshaping the way we use the Web.

The implications for all of this are huge for instruction.

The Basic Concepts
There are several foundational concepts that are motivating HTML5 development. These are summarized by Loganbill (2008) as follows:

* A new, sensible tagging strategy. Instead of bundling all multimedia into object or embed tags, video goes in video tags. Audio goes in audio tags, and so on;
* Localized databases. This feature, when implemented, automatically embeds a local SQL database Web sites can read and write to, speeding up interactive searching, caching and indexing functions, or for offline use of Web apps that rely on data requests;
* Rich animations without plugins. The canvas element gives the browser the ability to draw vector graphics. This means configurable, automatic graphs and illustrations right in the browser without Flash or Silverlight. Some support for canvas is already in all the latest browsers, except for IE;
* Real apps in the browser. APIs for in-browser editing, drag and drop, back button “waypoints,” and other graphical user interface abilities; and

* Content presentation tags will be phased out, and CSS will rule.

In general, coding languages used will be more thorough, which, in turn, will make the machines more intelligent in terms of actions and functions. The human factor will be able to focus more on application, context, and construction of meaning. In terms of instruction, then, teaching and learning can focus more clearly on the processes of thinking and application than on the manual skills needed to network and connect items.

The Poster Child: Google Wave
As we are evolving toward this more intuitive and intelligent Web, there are various software environments emerging that bring together several of the foundational concepts listed above. Once such environment has been created and called “Google Wave.”

The concept of “wave” is already interesting as it explores the idea of continuous movement and momentum building through exchange and development (the key idea being a “developing” environment).

Source: thejournal.com