CEdO535 Week 2: Blogs vs wikis

This week we compared blogs to wikis and discovered each has its own purpose both socially and in the world of education.
Part of our assignment was to watch a TED Talk that featured Mena Trott, who is one of the first to blog in the way we see blogging done today. In the video, Mena talks about how blogging is an outlet for people to share their thoughts with the world (or with 5 other people who may read what you have to say) and then to hear what the world has to say about your thoughts--both good and bad. She talks about how this form of communication has connected individuals who might not otherwise have a chance to "meet." I found Mena Trott's discussion quite interesting and it helped me develop a better understanding about the spirit of blogging.

Wikis are places online where groups of people work collaboratively on a product that is constantly evolving. Each participant in a wiki has the potential to contribute to the work at hand. In this week's lesson we watched Wikis in Plain English which used the process of planning a camping trip as an example of how a wiki could be used. I like the idea of wikis from an organizational standpoint, as well as for the fact that it allows all participants to collaborate.

Classroom teachers are also using wikis and blogs as a way to keep classwork and assignments organized and to create an automatic archive of students' work. I think both of these tools have their place in the classroom and can serve as powerful tools in preparing students for life beyond school.

In my work I am working toward starting a wiki with a pilot group of students at one of my sites. I chose a wiki over a blog because I think it will serve as an organizational tool as well as a place for students to provide responses and reflections all in one place, rather than having each student keep an individual blog. I am looking forward to learning about what works/doesn't work so I can make any necessary adaptations and begin using the online tools in some of my other sites.

CEdO535 Week 1

This week we turned an investigative eye toward blog hosting services, which is something that is extremely relevant to my work at this time. Since beginning my coursework in the MEIT program last fall, I have been integrating what I have learned into the work I do as the supervisor of a Title I program. This year, we have been given the opportunity to work with 3 area high schools within the Milwaukee Choice Program. As a result, we decided to revamp our Strategic Reading / Study Skills program to integrate additional technology. My goal for this year has been to include a wiki or blog component where the students could contribute in an online format. We have started by using PBWorks and are piloting this format at one of the schools this year, but I am a firm believer in learning about other options available and trying new things if there are better tools available.

I am very excited to learn more about the variety of blog hosting services that are available and to gain more perspective on how they could be used in our Title I environment!