This week, we were given the opportunity to learn to use wikis for educational purposes. Wikis have been an essential part of my learning experience since I learned to use the Internet, so learning about how it actually works and how to better take advantage of the tool is crucial to my development as a student that is capable of using available online resources.
How could you see yourself using a wiki?
As stated earlier, as a 21st century child, I learned to use Wikipedia to search for information as soon as I learned to use the Internet. Its simplicity and comprehensiveness made it my go to tool for learning about things of my interest. Therefore, it was interesting for me to take an objective look at the tool as a scholar and student.
According to K12Learning20.com (2013) (http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/8-wiki1), a wiki is a "collaborative, participatory, living, evolving content repository". It allows us to share our knowledge, construct a common base, and to navigate other pages where others have done the same to create a clear, comprehensive source of information. According to TeachersFirst (2008-2013) (http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/), student participation in an ongoing creation of wiki can help students learn, as it is a tool for collaborative learning. Students are able to teach others and provide information that they have found, while, at the same time, learning from others and the research that they have done, potentially uncovering blind-spots in their learning. The use of wikis reminds me of a more efficient way of doing elementary school group projects, where everybody had to do research about a part of the topic, and finally compile all of their information into one presentable format. The ease with which individuals can use and create wikis makes it a tool that students of all ages can use to collaborate on learning activities.
What do you consider to be effective ways to use wikis to support learning?
(The Center for Scholarly Technology, 2006, http://shtmteacherswiki.pbworks.com/w/page/5814911/Using%20wikis%20for%20your%20subjects)
Lefever (2005) (http://www.commoncraft.com/video/wikis) compares the use of wikis to the use of emails to communicate ideas. He concludes that using a wiki as a central source of information that all members of the group can access makes it much more efficient than using email. Without a doubt, wikis are a much more effective tool for any collaborative activity than using email, which can cause confusion. Clark (2012) (http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.ca/2012/12/wikis-wickedly-clever-underused.html) discusses the use of Wikipedia as an effective source of knowledge. Throughout high school, I was told that Wikipedia had no academic validity whatsoever. What many educators fail to understand is the fact that Wikipedia is an effective initial source of information, as its citations and links can prompt students to do further research. I find Wikipedia to be important to students because it sparks interest and provides students with the most important and relevant information. That way, even before they begin their research, they know what they are looking for. Having to go out and validate the information presented in Wikipedia using academic resources is a much more efficient use of time than to start researching completely blind, with no idea what kind of information is out there. Brain (2005) (http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/wiki.htm) discusses a series of checks and balances that allows Wikipedia to remain a valid source of information, with editor, admins, and writers able to stop those who are attempting to provide inaccurate information. Interestingly, he also tells us that the existence of individuals with very different opinions lead to a tendency for information to be neutral, as a result of what he calls "edit wars". In all, it is my view that Wikipedia is an important learning tool that serves as a useful starting point for research.
How do wikis compare to the other tools we have explored, specifically blogs, Google Docs, and Evernote? Which do you prefer?
Though Wikis fall under the same category of collaborative tools as Google Docs, blogs, and Evernote, I feel that Wikis provide a different kind of service to users and students, which separates it from these other tools. K12Learning20.com (2013) suggests that Wikis are much more flexible than these other tools - it is "whatever you want it to be". In other words, it can be a very complex Wiki page, or it can be very simple. Many people can have access to the editing function, or very few people can. Additionally, compared to Google Docs, these are actual websites, instead of documents. Similarly, TeachersFirst (2008-2013) (http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/) compares Wikis to blogs. This website suggests that compared to blogs, Wikis have a much more open structure, as it allows individuals to change what anyone else has written. However, as a result of this, individual opinions are often removed, so compared to blogs, they are a much more neutral source. This is important for students when they are attempting to get information that is free of bias. Each student's bias can influence what kinds of information they find, so when using Wikis to compile information, they can get a wider scope of knowledge that they normally wouldn't get.
What are you learning about becoming a digital citizen and the rights and responsibilities of living in a digital society?
This week, we were also given the chance to learn about the importance of digital rights and responsibilities. According to FSU Digital Citizenship (2014, http://fsudigitalcitizenship.wikispaces.com/Digital+Citizenship+Rights+%26+Responsibilities) everybody has the right to information, transparency, privacy, access, assemble, and of expression. However, these rights come with responsibilities, which EDTP504 (2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTf-EHOI1T0) cites Bailey & Ribble (2007) as being giving credit when it is due, being kind to each other, reporting inappropriate use, and making ethical decisions. The most important rule, in my opinion is the reporting of inappropriate use. Like any society, one without rules and consequences will lead to disaster, so it is important, in my opinion, that users report inappropriate use whenever they notice it. That way, those who are in charge can give appropriate consequences to those who are violating the rights of others.
Are you able to connect one or more items from your Feedly Reader to your learning?
(Wauters, 2010, http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/13/wikipedia-update/)
Through my Feedly Reader, I was able to find a blog post called The Decline of Wikipedia (Simonite, 2013, http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/520446/the-decline-of-wikipedia/). He points out a big problem Wikipedia is facing - the fact that the volunteer workforce that defends against those who use the website inappropriately (ex. vandals) has shrunk a third since 2007 and is still shrinking. He also points out that the site has skewed coverage, with some topics (ex. Pokemon) getting more coverage than topics that are perhaps very important to certain groups of people (ex. female novelist). This is definitely unfortunate news, but I do believe that Wikipedia is too important for too many people for it to shut down. In my opinion, I feel that they should begin allowing small ads, as they can generate more revenue to overcome these problems. To be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing ads on that site, as I see it on every other site, and have learned quite well to ignore them!
Thanks for sharing Lewis!
ReplyDeleteRE: Wikipedia is too important for too many people for it to shut down. In my opinion, I feel that they should begin allowing small ads, as they can generate more revenue to overcome these problems. To be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing ads on that site, as I see it on every other site, and have learned quite well to ignore them!
I tend to ignore ads as well but sometimes you have to click on them to close which can be annoying.