WIKI Blog Post March 7, 2010

Reflections on the process of learning about the tool (3 points)

Wikis are another Web 2.0 tool that has great potential if it is used correctly. I can clearly see the benefits of wikis and the sharing of knowledge among students, teachers, parents, academics and so many other groups. But, what I also see is that so many people use wikis improperly. The best model and the one everyone should be modeling their wikis after is of course Wikipedia. But, I haven’t really seen any ordinary folks use wikis in this manner. What I see is most people using wikis as a blog and this is where my wiki journey and crusade really begins.

The wiki (http://fabulous5z.wikispaces.com/) I am involved in is one that my wife’s school has designed and in my opinion hasn’t been using properly. Thus far, the wiki is being used as an information portal for parents and students. There is very little collaboration and contribution by the people for whom the wiki is intended – students and parents.

In Davies and Merchant Web 2.0 for Schools (2009), they state that,

…in a wiki, the students act as the researchers supporting their own learning. This is enquiry-based learning that places the children in control. They are positioned as experts and as advisors; yet despite the authority and responsibilities they are given, the collaborative nature of the work means they can support each other by editing each other’s work and seeing the project as a ‘ongoing’ in a perpetual state of revision.

On the main page of the Fabulous5z wiki, they state,

This is a new and exciting way to communicate and share the fabulous things you will do in grade 5 this year! Wiki's are interactive web pages that allow you as a user to add, delete or modify content within them. As an educational tool, wiki's provide unique opportunities to collaborate on the learning process. This wiki will become our default "control room" in a communication context; our forum to share ideas about what we're doing in class when we're not in class (Fabulous5z, 2010).

Thus far the collaborative part hasn’t happened. This is where my students and I come in. What I have proposed since reading the books from our class and from being involved in the Fabulous5z wiki is that my Education students and I lend our knowledge and expertise to the wiki. What I am envisioning is that when the grade five students have questions about their homework, assignments or projects they are working on, my students will be able to add and enhance what the grade fives are working on through the wiki. My students and I will ask the grade fives questions to invoke deeper understanding, add to what the “kids” have posted to the wiki and suggest new and better ways of approaching their assignments. So instead of having the L.A. page as simply an information page on the current novels being studied by the grade fives, the students should be discussing critical questions about the characters, setting and other elements of their novels. Hopefully, with some time, we will able be able to achieve a wiki more like the one described below by Pearce.

The Wiki is gaining traction in education, as an ideal tool for the increasing amount of collaborative work done by both students and teachers. Students might use a wiki to collaborate on a group report, compile data or share the results of their research, while faculty might use the wiki to collaboratively author the structure and curriculum of a course, and the wiki can then serve as part of each person's course web site (Pearce, 2009).

Here is an example of the current Language Arts page being used by the Fabulous5z.

 

Discussion of the tool in terms of your personal learning (e.g. me as a learner, me as a parent, me as part of a social group) (3 points)

My learning with the technical aspects of wikis hasn’t been that great. What Wikispaces offers is a basic web page template that allows you to add content. It isn’t much different from my Webs.com (http://bmcdiarmid.webs.com/) pages, my blog (http://edes501web20.blogspot.com/) or the Fabulous5z wiki (http://fabulous5z.wikispaces.com/).

Where my learning and thinking has really been focused is around the development of content. I have considered the elements that the students should be discussing and doing on the wiki and how they should be collaborating with one another to gain greater understanding and meaning.

A Wiki can be thought of as a combination of a Web site and a Word document. At its simplest, it can be read just like any other web site, with no access privileges necessary, but its real power lies in the fact that groups can collaboratively work on the content of the site using nothing but a standard web browser (Pearce, 2009).

The most important part of this quote from Pearce is the second half (bolded) that points out the “real power” of wikis.

From a parental point of view, I would really like to see more of this type of Web 2.0 tool implemented in my daughter’s class. She is a high school student and I can see a multitude of opportunities for her English teacher and her Social Studies teacher to be integrating wikis into their teaching. My daughter just finished the novel Warriors Don’t Cry and this novel study would have been a perfect opportunity for wiki integration. But there wasn’t even the use a computer for something basic such as a word processing element of the novel study.

I also think it would be great to see the math and science teachers implement a wiki to discuss math and science questions. From the point of view of a person who struggled with Math all of his high school career, I am sure I could have benefited from having some of the concepts I struggled with discussed and modeled for me by my peers on a wiki, especially if the students and teacher had used Pulse Pens from Livescribe to demonstrate math and chemistry equations.

Calculus 191 Lecture 5-28-2008
brought to you by Livescribe

I have already talked with my daughter who is a published author, website developer and artist to discuss the use of blogs and wikis in her classes with her teachers.

Further, being in the world of academia as an instructor and a student, I think wikis have the potential to aid me as a student trying to increase my field of knowledge. A wiki on a particular topic area I am studying could be incredibly helpful to me either from other people’s input or from my input into their wikis. 

Lastly, wikis are an idea I have been playing around with for a long time in my EDIT class. I have always wanted my students to discuss concepts and information that are presented in class and to create wikis based on the technology lessons they create and present to the class. I am not sure whether I will use BlackBoard’s built in wiki component or if I will encourage my students to use a site like PBwiki or Wikispaces. The latter two would be forever, while Blackboard is disabled for students shortly after they finish my class.

On a side note, a couple of good examples of wikis in higher education are Wikis in Higher Education and Wetpaint’s Wikis in Education.

Discussion of the tool in terms of your professional learning (e.g. me as a teacher, me as a school leader, me as a teacher-librarian, me as a member of professional learning communities/networks). This takes into account technology integration, use in schools, pros and cons, etc. (3 points)

I think that I’ve covered most of this in the aforementioned paragraphs, but it is worth reiterating that because wiki technology is easy to use, teachers from all levels need to concentrate their efforts in developing content that is worth discussing and collaborating on for their intended audiences.

What I’ve found as a teacher who is involved in the use of wikis is that you need to offer something that is interesting and compelling enough to engage students in a dialogue about the topic. Using Dr. Marica Tate’s (2007) method of engaging students from a need, novelty, meaning or emotion approach is a great place to start the conversation on a wiki. In some way showing and demonstrating to students that they need to be involved in the wiki process (a topic or question), having some novel hook that creates interest in the wiki, if the wiki has meaning in the life of the student or if the wiki can evoke emotion in the student.

Wikis, like any technology, and like any Web 2.0 technology, have their share of pros and cons.

So some pros and cons of a wiki, as a converse to a traditional website, they, by their nature, encourage collaboration, sharing ideas and they're infinitely expandable… (Dunkerly, 2008).

The Library Wiki on Wikispaces offers this list of pros and cons.

Pros:

·      Users can create and edit information for collaborative content.

·      Generates conversation between staff, users, and the general public.

·      Community feel.

·      Current information can be posted on the Web in a quick and easy fashion.

·      Software templates can be used to add that extra touch for a snazzier look.

·      Easy to search.

·      Can add pictures, video, and text easier.

·      Cons:

·      Time is need for adding content and monitoring.

·      Unsavory content and inappropriate comments might be posted.

·      Some training might be needed for staff and patrons.

(Wikispaces, 2010).

Demonstration of new knowledge (3 points)

Here is a screen shot of my wife’s Wiki page of the Fabulous5z that I put together for her. This wiki is restricted and private for staff, parents and students of my wife’s school.

Again in the coming months, my students and I will be involved in helping make this Wiki more collaborative and useful for students and their parents. We have already struck an agreement with the school for volunteering our help.

References:

Davies, J. & Merchant, G. (2009). Web 2.0 for schools. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

Dunkerly, Dawn. (2008). Introduction to wikis. Retrieved  from http://www.vtc.com/products/IntroductiontoWikis/IntroductiontoWikis/70324

Fabulous5z. (2010). Retrieved March 3, 2010 from http://fabulous5z.wikispaces.com/

Pearce, J. (2009). The science of spectroscopy. Retrieved from http://node51.cit.geneseo.edu/WIKKI_TEST/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page

Tate, Marcia. (2003). Worksheets don't grow dendrites: 20 instructional strategies that engage the brain. California: Corwin Press.

Wikispaces. LibraryWiki. (2010). Retrieved from http://librarywiki.wikispaces.com/Wiki's+we+tried-Pros+and+Cons