What medical educators need to know about "Web 2.0"

Web 2.0 describes a collection of web-based technologies which share a user-focused approach to design and functionality, where users actively participate in content creation and editing through open collaboration between members of communities of practice. The current generation of students in medical school made Web 2.0 websites such as Facebook and MySpace some of the most popular on the Internet. Medical educators and designers of educational software applications can benefit from understanding and applying Web 2.0 concepts to the curriculum and related websites. Health science schools have begun experimenting with wikis, blogs and other Web 2.0 applications and have identified both advantages and potential problems with these relatively open, student-focused communication tools. This paper reviews the unique features of Web 2.0 technologies, addresses questions regarding potential pitfalls and suggests valuable applications in health science education.