Tech Chance

Wiki Wiki Stiki

I found the experience interesting. I am not sure if we are finished yet but to see everyone’s perspective coming together like that was interesting. I found it a little similar to the threaded discussion in some ways but trying to get my comments in at the appropriate places was a little sticky for me. I liked to see the comments outlined in a way that I could actually track them though I feel it is somewhat more organized in WebCT Vista. Another factor I noted was that I could actually make adjustments in other people’s comments. I am not able to do this in WebCT Vista. The nature of wiki is that it is self-editing and self-authoring and so changes are accommodated by the system. It is clear from this experience that one can build a learning community by using this tool as a starting point. People are able to collaborate to generate and synthesize ideas.

The challenges may include people lurking and not necessarily moving at the pace that others in the group may want to go. It is therefore likely that more experienced members may carry out the task assigned or may simply go ahead and do what has to be done. In addition, the work being done on the page is tied greatly to participation but the grade might only reflect the finished outcome or product. Individual effort may not be considered which may lead to students being de-motivated

Speaking about motivated, I plan to use wiki during the coming semester for a course I teach on the Emergent Teacher. My students should complete a document on gender and one on identity. I think I will use this tool to get them to collaborate and create a document on both. I will try to work out the details later.

http://www.campustechnology.com/Articles/2009/02/11/3-Challenges-to-Wiki-Use-in-Instruction.aspx?Page=3

http://collaborativeconvergences.wiki.hss.rpi.edu/index.php?title=Challenges_and_Recommendations