Wiki

Since the evolution of web 2.0 there have increasingly become more applications that allow users to create, collaborate, manipulate, and share content via the World Wide Web. The introduction of web 2.0 began in the 1990’s but wasn’t as popular as it is today. Initially the potential for interactive web 2.0 content was available however it was lost until 1994-1995 when Ward Cunningham wrote the first wiki. Nowadays, wiki’s are used by students, professors, small to large businesses, research and developers that collaborate globally, and pretty much anyone or group that wants to share and/or maintain a repository of information that anyone can contribute or modify while still maintaining a log of past activity.

What is a wiki? I thought it would be suitable to provide the definition of a wiki according to wikipedia. According to wikipedia a wiki is a “website that uses wiki software, allowing the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked Web pages, using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor, within the browser.” Basically, an individual gains access to a website and can change the content or add wiki pages and in most cases there aren’t any real restrictions. A wiki page can be edited and updated by virtually anyone and there is generally a log of all the changes that have taken place on the wiki. The log allows users to track who changed the content, when they did it, what content was changed, and also allow the wiki page to be “rolled back” to a previous time.

Wiki’s are very great collaborative learning tool. Their dynamic nature can play an important role in education.

PRO’s

• Knowledge building over the course of a term through the use of versions and groups*

• Critically reading, and responding in a constructive and public way, to others’ work*

• Progressive problem-solving (especially valuable for open-ended problems) and problem redefinition*

• Allowing students to learn how to add slight degree of difference and complexity to concepts*

• Systematic engagement and analysis with work produced by more advanced students, specialists and experts*

• Combining, synthesizing and evaluating definitions and terminology across disciplines*

• Questioning underlying causes and principles*

• Learning to observe deeply, stereotype less, and avoid premature judgement*

• They are available 24/7

• Some classes can be fully operational on a wiki platform and located off the campus server.

• Can show the natural progression for planning a project and also used as a project management tool

• Used to map concepts and collectively identify them

• Forum of solutions for a given topic

• Used as a presentation which others can collectively comment on and edit

• Used to create a class list of references and/or bibliography

* Harris and Rea (2009)

CONS

• Hard to tell who is contributing (on some wiki platforms)

• Need to be very clear about deadlines and motivate students to contribute within a reasonable amount of time

To learn more about wiki sites your best bet is to compare and contrast them using wikimatrix

For a quick wiki use:

Pbwiki

If you are interested in more about wiki's contact me and we can discuss your specific needs and learning outcomes.

Wikipedia

Interactive Multimedia

By definition, interactive media allows the user to actively participate and have some control over functions. For educational purposes, when a learner is actively engaged they are more likely to retain the information. I believe that we can all reflect on learning and realize that has some truth. To put it in perspective would you rather read a webpage as a passive observer, or interact with the webpage. Compare this interactive site detailing how drugs disrupt synapses in the brain with this one which highlights drug effects. It is also fair to mention that the intentions of the user affects the outcome as well. For instance, if you just want a quick answer about drug affects then perhaps a static page is best, but understanding a concept in its entirety would prompt a more interactive approach. As the saying goes: “less text, more learning.”

Here is a short list of websites that utilize interactive media:

AIDS at 25 was published by the St. Petersburg Times. The site highlights the spread of AIDS across America and the world.

Forests, Fields, and Falls was funded by the Minnesota Historical Society. A simple interactive story about the riches of Minnesota.

National Museum of Australia hosts several interactive “learn thru play” activities.

PBS’s Nova has several interactive galleries, slideshows, and resources. Check out “An Elegant Universe.”

Even the CIA has educational games for all grade levels. They range from puzzles, decoding messages, and analyzing data or images.

Knowitall.org has tons of k-12 educational resources. It is ETV’s online educational portal that lets you do anything from taking virtual field trips, watch videos, podcasts, virtual games, and several other interactive multimedia links.

The New York Times is generally a great place to look for media. Here is an example of an interactive graph. You control the variables and see the results as to whether it is better to buy or rent a home. Or this one about a poll regarding how different groups of people spend their day.

You are in charge of a team that is responsible for stopping a global flu pandemic. Good luck fighting the outbreak.

Cisco develops educational material as well. Here is a small town called Packetville, where kids between 8-11 can explore, play educational games, and be creative. Another example of learning thru play.