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.
Sue, I think blogs and Wikis have similarities and differences. At this time I like the idea of Wikis better for some of the same reasons you stated. How are you thinking of using a Wiki at this time? What is the age group of the students? I'm curious to see how it turns out.
ReplyDeleteI am working with a Title I teacher to create a wiki that will be used in a high school setting in a Strategic Reading/Study Skills class. The school already uses blogs and wikis within the classroom, but much of the interaction is simply between teachers and individual students.
ReplyDeleteThe class that our Title I students are participating in are learning strategies on how to get the most out of reading their content area text books, how to study for tests using reading strategies and how to take notes effectively. We also integrate 21st century learning skills, and the online collaboration component of wikis seems to be a good match. I would like to see us take the students to the next level and teach them how to effectively and responsibly work together in this format while learning reading skills & strategies along the way...
This is all new and we are just piloting it with one school, so I am expecting the project to evlove throughout the year.
Wikis have the advantage of being designed for multiple people as opposed to blogs which really are for individuals (with comments by others). Wikis are perfect for group work. What might you do with a group?
ReplyDeleteThe group is going to work on building content area vocabulary journals. Our class is a Title I Reading program, but our goal at this level is to help students develop reading and vocabulary skills that are relevant to their regular classes. We are going to have the students work together to define, put into context and identify parts of speech. All students will be allowed to contribute and edit, keeping in mind that the teacher will know who is making changes.
ReplyDeleteGround rules have been set and the students are excited to have this opportunity to interact with each other online and not just with their teacher.