Wikis: An Easy Way of Thinking Forward
- 1. USING WIKIS: AN EASY WAY OF THINKING FORWARD Feb. 22, 2013 Caitlin Cornell
- 2. Overview What Is a Wiki? Why Use a Wiki? Wiki Challenges The Planning Stage The Technology Sample 1: Wiki for English 101 Sample 2: Wiki for Intensive English Questions? Feb. 22, 2013
- 3. What is a Wiki? A wiki is… A wiki ( /ˈw ɪki/WIK-ee) is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinkedweb pages via a web browser… (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki) “…a collaborative Web site set up to allow user editing and adding of content” (Dictionary.com) No Entry for “wiki” at Merriam Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary Feb. 22, 2013
- 4. Wiki – Why use one? Wikiv. Traditional Essays Thewiki platform lends itself to the writing process (drafting, editing, publishing) Wiki as Interactive Learning Student interaction during creation and navigation Student interaction during editing stages Student-teacher interaction: feedback about the wiki work, posted in the wiki itself Wiki as relevant technological use for young generations and Multiple Intelligences Feb. 22, 2013
- 5. Wiki Challenges Bad news: you may have to learn an entirely new platform. Good news: trial and error does not equal catastrophe Better news: your students are likely more technologically advanced than you, and will grasp new ideas quickly. Feb. 22, 2013
- 6. The Planning Stage What parts of the course would be best represented and reinforced with the help of a wiki? How will you assess student work? Formally? Measures should be different than for traditional writing assignments (because a wikishould be more involved) What structure and routine will you impose on students? Feb. 22, 2013
- 7. The Planning Stage: Structure Remember, this is new for students, too They will need: Models of appropriate work Clear instructions (both for technological steps and for development and format of content) Warnings against plagiarism Appropriate group work practices (equal participation, kindness in peer editing, etc.) Feb. 22, 2013
- 8. The Planning Stage: Routine Create a consistent routine How much time will you devote: In-class? As homework? Time spent depends largely on logistics: Is the class already held in a lab? If not, can you reserve a lab? How easy is that? Is the amount of time in the lab enough? Do students have the access and time to work with each other outside of class? Can you monitor that? Feb. 22, 2013
- 9. The Planning Stage: Anticipate Problems Students typically don’t sabotage each other’s work, but you can track user changes anyway. Limit the classroom Internet access (i.e., no Facebook or personal email). Mix student characteristics in groups (age, gender, personality, learning preferences, ability, etc.) Time: there’s never enough, so set reasonable goals. Always test the technology, and Feb. 22, 2013 backup have a plan.
- 10. The Technology Fear not. Remember your goals, especially for the first attempt; start slow and small. Trial and error. Students learn fast. Even if you test things ahead of time, something WILL go wrong. It always does. Feb. 22, 2013
- 11. Sample 1: Wiki for English 101 Platform: PBWorks (free “limited” version) Course: English 101 Target area: Critical Analysis of Short Stories (paragraph responses) Successes: Students actually followed the stages of the writing process with little prompting; wiki creation comes naturally in phases. Challenges: Weak/strong grouping makes for some extra pressure on the dedicated students if group ethics are not carefully monitored. Feb. 22, 2013
- 12. Setting the Rules Feb. 22, 2013
- 13. Structuring the Wiki Feb. 22, 2013
- 14. Structuring the Wiki Feb. 22, 2013
- 15. Instructor Creation Feb. 22, 2013
- 16. Student Creation Feb. 22, 2013
- 17. Clear Instructions Within the Wiki Feb. 22, 2013
- 18. Clear Instructions Within the Wiki Feb. 22, 2013
- 19. Clear Instructions Within the Wiki Feb. 22, 2013
- 20. Clear Instructions Within the Wiki Feb. 22, 2013
- 21. Models of Appropriate Work Feb. 22, 2013
- 22. Feedback & Fixing Mistakes Feb. 22, 2013
- 23. Feedback & Fixing Mistakes Feb. 22, 2013
- 24. Assessment First attempt: Focus on participation, group ethic, and task completion, rather than quality of writing. As long as you have predetermined what role the wiki will play in your course, a decision like this is appropriate. Subsequent attempts: Once you have mastered the details of the planning stage and the technological instructions, you can move toward more focused assessment: content, organization, creativity, etc. Feb. 22, 2013
- 25. Student Samples: Appropriate Feb. 22, 2013
- 26. Student Sample: Weak Feb. 22, 2013
- 27. Student Samples: Appropriate Feb. 22, 2013
- 28. Student Samples: Appropriate Feb. 22, 2013
- 29. Sample 2: Wiki for Intensive English Platform: Wikispaces (free K-12 “limited” version) Course: Intensive English Level: Beginner Target area: Vocabulary Successes: Student attitude and accomplishments did not match their initial reaction to learning a new system. Challenges: One student would not participate, despite all encouraging and a patient group (but this student ended up dropping the course later, so there were other issues involved). Feb. 22, 2013
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- 36. Parting Advice The opportunities for meaningful learning far outweigh the challenges. The writing process, once very individual, becomes interactive. Team competition drives group success, not the grade. Peers become the audience. Learning reaches students ofMultiple Intelligences. Writing platform is new and interesting so engages students more than traditional methods. Greater possibilities for authentic materials and contextualization of tasks. Becauseyouare the architect, nothing can really go wrong. Try it, and let the students try it with you. Don’t feel you have to spend months planning before you bring it into the classroom. Feb. 22, 2013
- 37. Resources Collection of Wiki resources: http://new-web- two.wetpaint.com/page/Wikis+in+the+TEFL+class room To compare wiki platforms: http://www.wikimatrix.org/ Feb. 22, 2013
- 38. Questions? If you have questions later, please email: ccorne2@uic.edu The presentation is available on Slideshare: www. Feb. 22, 2013
Editor's Notes
- #7: So, how to incorporate a wiki into your syllabus?Don’t insert thewiki just anywhere; it’s not just using technology for the sake of it, but rather ameliorating an already existing part of the syllabus.Because the technology and the new content can be confusing enough, it’s important to lay out an overall structure (rules) and routine (expected work times and transparent deadlines) early on in the process.
- #11: Using a wiki is cool enough, you don’t have to complicate it the first time around You learn tons just by trying it once; take it slow and when you’ve mastered the basics, add more in next semester!It’s likely that your students will master the wiki faster than you (this is a good thing, mostly)