blog wikis110807
TRANSCRIPT
Engaging Students with Blogs and Wikis
the leader in social learning applications
I N S P I R E T H I N K I N G O N L I N E . ™
Zahra Safavian, Product Manager
November 8, 2007
© 2007 Learning Objects, Inc. All rights reserved.
Build knowledge by building wikis
Overview of Wikis
» Wiki - is a webpage that is easily editable. » Wiki means “quick” in Hawaiian. Everyone can
quickly and easily edit, change or delete text. » Sometimes interpreted as an acronym for
“What I Know Is”, a reference to the knowledge contribution and exchange
» Created in 1994 by Ward Cunningham – WikiWikiWeb
Build knowledge by building wikis
Primary Characteristics of Wikis
» Hyperlinking» Links between pages results in a multi-layered,
non-linear collection of information
Build knowledge by building wikis
Create 4 types of links:• Link to a new page to simultaneously create the new page and a link to the page.• Link to existing pages in the wiki• Link to other wikis or blogs in the system or to external websites.• Link to other spots on the same page – i.e., anchors
Primary Characteristics of Wikis (cont’d)
» Simplicity» Creating sites is quick and easy,
requiring no technical skill
Build knowledge by building wikis
• The rich text editor has an interface similar to Microsoft Word and other word processing applications.• Easily format the page and its content with text and paragraph formatting options, lists, tables, and more.• Quickly add images and other rich media content or upload documents.
Primary Characteristics of Wikis (cont’d)
» Easy-access Authoring
Build knowledge by building wikis
• Unlike a website or other web publication, wiki content is built collaboratively -- any member can contribute content to any page in the site. • Control is distributed across members. Instructors can assign membership to any student or group of students in the course.
Primary Characteristics of Wikis (cont’d)
» Versioning
Build knowledge by building wikis
• Users can revert to previous versions. Don’t prevent users from making mistakes, but make it easy for them to correct them.• Wikis are works in progress. Edits occur by many people over time, and each version
of each page is saved.• View the content contributed by any member of the wiki to determine contributions of individual students to group work.
Using Wikis in Education
» Wikis are useful for any activity that:» Involves the assembly, organization, or
annotation of a body of information, such as• Course outline for exam review• Research papers• Annotated bibliographies
» Needs or benefits from multiple contributors• Group papers• Course knowledgebase• Intra-departmental projects
Build knowledge by building wikis
Demo of Teams LX
Build knowledge by building wikis
Case Study: Duquesne University
» Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA» Title: Using Wikis to Enliven Group Projects» Who: Dr. Evan Stoddard, Associate Dean of
Liberal Arts
Build knowledge by building wikis
Case Study: Duquesne University (cont.)
» Team projects to improve conditions in a low-income community near the university
» Students use Teams LX to develop a community profile, a proposal, and final report
» Dr. Stoddard uses the wiki in class on a projector, reviewing and editing work as necessary
» In Stoddard’s view, Teams LX “has really livened up the use of technology in my classroom. I am excited to see students work together and develop a genuine sense of community. It has really changed the way students think and write, enabling them to be more fluid, flexible, and to work collaboratively across the boundaries of time and place.”
Build knowledge by building wikis
Group Research
» Who?» Professor Philip Farabaugh, Biology» University of Maryland, Baltimore County
» What?» Undergraduate and graduate biology courses» Students are required to collaborate to produce critical
reviews of recent publications relevant to an assigned topic• Assign a current, relevant topic to groups of students• Groups identify areas within topic for each student• Each student finds, reads, and analyzes at least 5 current
research papers, providing cross-references to other related research publications
• Compile a website that provides a comprehensive critical review of an area of research in their field
http://www.umbc.edu/bioclass/bio1414/wiki/index.php?page=Home
Build knowledge by building wikis
Project Collaboration
» Who?» Professor Paul Schacht» SUNY Geneseo
» What?» Students in critical writing and reading classes write
collaboratively» Project that studies the social history of Christmas in
America• Students collaboratively annotate Clement Clark
Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”• Create a hypertextual work in which key words and
phrases in the poem are linked to pages that explain them
http://node51.cit.geneseo.edu/WIKKI_TEST/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page
Build knowledge by building wikis
Website Creation
» Who?» Professor Anne Sara Rubin, History» University of Maryland, Baltimore County
» What?» Students collaboratively build a website using
UMBC’s collection of Lewis Hine photographs of U.S. child labor in the early 20th century» Each student is assigned 5 images to research » Students write essays on their findings» They collaboratively pull the essays together and
organize with the actual photos, creating links between their work
» At the end of the course, the wiki is exported and made accessible on the web
http://www.research.umbc.edu/%7Earubin/HIST402_SP2007/8cf04a9734132302f96da8e113e80ce5.html
Build knowledge by building wikis
Experience the power of blogging
Overview of Blogs
» Blogs - short for web logs, are websites consisting of chronologically-ordered entries authored by one or more people
• “Weblog” coined in 1997 by Jorn Barger• “Blog” coined in 1999 by Peter Merholz
» Primary content in blogs is not built collaboratively, however people are meant to provide commentary on each others’ work
Experience the power of blogging
Primary Characteristics of Blogs
» Component Structure
Experience the power of blogging
• Blogs consist of a series of entries, each addressing a single concept, thesis, or time period. • Collectively, all entries in a blog are linked by a common theme.
Primary Characteristics of Blogs
» Chronological Ordering
Experience the power of blogging
• Entries are displayed in reverse chronological order and can be filtered by date.
• Time-based ordering is conducive to activities that involve thought and writing that evolve over time.
Primary Characteristics of Blogs
» Viewing and Commenting
Experience the power of blogging
• Others can typically view work, so authors are motivated to formulate ideas and rhetoric with more care than something a single person – e.g., only the instructor – would read.
• Comments allow viewers to provide feedback to authors.
Primary Characteristics of Blogs (cont’d)
» Hyperlinks
Experience the power of blogging
• Link between entries or to external resources.• Authors easily incorporate specific references to articles, journals, and other publications to illustrate and support thesis.• Authors can also reference previously-written entries to provide more insight.
Primary Characteristics of Blogs (cont’d)
» Rich Media
Experience the power of blogging
• Easy to embed images, videos, and other media to support and complement the author’s thesis• Results in more engaging, persuasive content.
Demo of Journal LX
Experience the power of blogging
Using Blogs in Education
» Blogs are useful for any activity that:» Involves writing» Requires analytical reading» Progresses over time» Benefits from peer review or peer modeling
Experience the power of blogging
Case Study: University of North Florida
» Location: Jacksonville, Florida USA» Title: Using Blogs to Connect Theory and
Practice» Who: Deborah Miller, Assistant Director, Office
of Faculty Enhancement
Experience the power of blogging
Case Study: University of North Florida (cont.)
» School of Nursing program has a community-based curriculum built upon service-learning pedagogy.
» Guided reflection “helps ensure students develop an appreciation of the social, economic, cultural, political, and environment context in which their skills are practiced.”
» Faculty have always required students to document their experiences in a journal format. Journal LX has made it easy for faculty to efficiently organize students into groups and to “keep track of the continuous stream of student experiences.”
» Added bonus: Community partners who have access to the online course have used student reflections as a way to evaluate their own staff and processes and to contribute to the program.
Experience the power of blogging
Collaborative Writing
» Who?» Professor Deborah Gussman, Literature» Richard Stockton College
» What?» Rhetoric and composition course» Students are required to collaboratively write a novel
as part of their course work» Each student writes a different chapter of the novel
within the blog» Students can comment on each others’ work and the
entire novel can be read in the blog
http://caxton.stockton.edu/novel/
Experience the power of blogging
Collaborative Research
» Who?» Professor Tom Nelson, Rhetoric» University of Texas
» What?» Students are divided into blog groups according to
their interests, which are as diverse as politics, sports, movies, and technology» Students post weekly writings that relate to their
group’s topic» Each group must create their own rules for what the
group’s blog should include and the style, rhetorical goals, and length of each entry
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/node/233
Experience the power of blogging
Individual Writing
» Who?» Professors at Richard Stockton College
» What?» Interactive communication between instructors and
students» Students use blogs to annotate essays that are
assigned in the course » Example: Annotating a specific section of Slavery in
New England (http://caxton .stockton.edu/mumbet)» Example: Two different classes collaborate to annotate
Leaves of Grass (http://caxton.stockton.edu/log/)
Experience the power of blogging
Peer Review
» Who?» Will Richardson» Hunterdon Central Regional High School, New Jersey
» What?» Uses blogs in literature and journalism classes» Journalism class:
» Students collect news stories to write about» Provide commentary on each other’s work
» Literature class: » Students comment on and critique class readings
» Allows him to instill in students more awareness of their writing and their audience
Experience the power of blogging
Assigning and Assessing Blogs and Wikis
Communicating the Assignment
» Provide a clear overview of the assignment when it is assigned:» Purpose of the assignment» Expectations for the scope or depth of work » Expectations for the quality of work» Expectations for collaboration, if relevant» The grading rubric – how the assignment will be
assessed» Dates of availability of the blog or wiki for creating
content and/or viewing content
Assigning + Assessing Blogs and Wikis
Grading the Assignment
» Grading a blog or wiki is the same as grading any other assignment.
» The technology does not affect the grade.» Quality of the research» Credibility of cited sources» Organization of content» Quality of writing» Quality of analysis – if relevant» Persuasiveness of argument
Assigning + Assessing Blogs and Wikis
Grading the Assignment (cont’d)
» Some considerations particular to blogs or wikis:» Has the author used hyperlinking effectively to
organize and present information» If grading a wiki, does the wiki history suggest that
all members of the group contributed equally» If comments were enabled, were students’
comments to their peers insightful and well-articulated?
Assigning + Assessing Blogs and Wikis
Links» Uses of Blogs in Education (matrix)
http://www.edtechpost.ca/gems/matrix2.gif» “Scholars who Blog”, The Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i39/39a01401.htm» “Writing with Web Logs”, techLearning
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2003/02/blogs.php» Using Wiki in Education
http://www.wikiineducation.com/display/ikiw/Home» “Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not”, Educause Review
http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0452.asp» “There’s Something in the Air: Podcasting in Education”, Educause Review
http://www.educause.edu/er/erm05/erm0561.asp?bhcp=1 » “Put it On the ‘Board: Tuning up Blackboard for Podcasting”
http://www.unl.edu/is/connectivity/connectivity_2006_09_a.shtml» “7 Things You Should Know About… Podcasting”,
Educause Learning Initiativehttp://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7003.pdf
Thank you!