How the Web posted on the Web is Causing Talk about Spiders

This fascinating story is chock full of the web in more ways than one!

This 200 YARD spider web has etymologists from around the world a buzz after a biologist for the park posted a photo of it, on ... you guessed it.. the Web!

The park manager says that she

"just wishes the entomologists would check out the spider web in person instead of arguing about it over the Internet."

The Web won't stick around long because most of the spiders will be dead soon -- but rangers report that:

"you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs."

Entymologists are trying to figure out if the spiders are constructed by "social cobweb spiders" or just webs that spiders connected.

What we can learn from this:

1) Sometimes you have to see it in person.

It is one thing to observe on the Internet, and another to see it in person. In person observations, are more meaningful. Many people have "observed" my classroom through the Internet, but they are only seeing a small part of what happens. I've had one researcher observe my classroom and to me, only she truly understands the model I use and that it is not as neat and tidy as some seem to think.

2) The Internet Facilitates Rapid Awareness

Look how the posting of this one photo has literally set the world's entomologists abuzz, particularly when it is a phenomenal occurrence. Why more of them don't go see it in person is beyond me.

To me, the greatest credence in the debate should go to those who have observed in person.

3) If you care, you'll observe.

It is great to embed oneself in things in the Internet, but we still need face to face observations, discussions, and research. It is important because only then do we get the whole story. The Internet is a reflection of sorts but may not give us the whole picture. And we must remember that.

I do not disparage what we have now, I only point out the obvious -- the Internet does not make us omniscient observers -- it just enables more cursory observation of what more people are seeing.

Fascinating story and it relates to all of us social educational spiders rapidly weaving a great web of observation and sharing.

tag: internet, spider, entymology, entymologists, education, teaching, Internet, web2.0, social networking