course wikis
TRANSCRIPT
Building Engaging Learning Environments
Creating & Using Course Wikis
Presentation by Jason Rhode, Ph.D. | [email protected] | www.niu.edu/~jrhode
Session Overview• Introduction to Wikis
– Overview of wiki features & benefits of use– Why wikis are used in higher education– Introduction to Google’s free wiki tool
• Experiences Using Wikis in Higher Education– Incorporating group wikis in f2f, blended, & online courses– Sample group project wiki with instructions for students – Sample activities designed for wikis
• What You Need to Know Before Getting Started– Free tools to choose from & where to find them– Tips for selecting the right wiki tool & designing wiki
activities for your class– Wiki issues & limitations
Wiki-Wiki Express
• Passenger bus service at Honolulu International Airport
• Until recently, most passengers took this bus service to travel between gates
Photo credit: http://flickr.com/photos/cogdog/19490596
What is a Wiki?
• Collaborative website where all participants have equal ability to make changes to content
• Key features:– Easy to use– History of contributions– Ability to revert to
previous versions
Photo credit: http://flickr.com/photos/teemow/29921948
First Wiki by Ward Cunningham
c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiWikiWeb
Page Content
Title
Menu with Links to Pages
of the Wiki
Create Edit
Wikipedia
7 Things You Should Know
educause.edu/ELI/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutWikis/156807
Why Wikis in Higher Education?
• Facilitate constructivist approaches to learning• Equal “voice” for all participants• Students retain access to constructed
knowledge after course ends• Can be public or private• Easy to use; no advanced programming skills
needed• View and contribute from any Internet
connection
Mobile Applications
sites.helenbarrett.net/portfolio/how-to
Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy
edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom’s+Digital+Taxonomy
Uses of Wikis
• E-portfolios• Group collaborations• Soliciting input from others• Presentations• …any collaborative content creation activity!
Google Sites
sites.google.com
Google Sites Overview
google.com/sites/help/intl/en/overview.html
Demo: Introduction to Google Sites
• Tour of several previous course wikis• Creating a course wiki in Google Sites• Initial configurations to customize• Adding students as contributors
Sample Education Wikis
• delicious.com/jrhode/wikis• edt6020fall09.pbworks.com• sites.google.com/site/edt6010fall09• hornlab.niu.edu• sites.google.com/site/drjasonrhode
Directory of Wiki Tools:• c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/wiki.html
Demo: Sample Course Wiki
sites.google.com/site/edtc6434winter2010teamxwiki
Tips for Teaching with Wikis
• Decide whether to use single wiki for class or multiples wikis (e.g. each group)
• Provide suggested organizational structure or create empty pages (recommended)
• Customize navigation for easy access (ie: links to pages)
• Create sub-pages within hierarchical structure
Tips for Designing Wiki Activities
• Specify clear purpose for use of wiki• Provide expectations & structure for
contributions• Allow time for students to become familiar
with the wiki tool (e.g. make contributions to individual page)
• Include instructions for use and/or links where students can find more information (e.g. screencast instructions)
Sample Screencast Tour
vimeo.com/8721747
STOLEN Principle
TimelyTimely
stolenprinciple.pbworks.com
Specific Overall Objective
Ownership
Localized Objective
Engagement Rules
Navigation
• Clear purpose• Grading strategy
• Define times for different stages of use• Define end point
• Collaborative ownership
• Some structure of what is expected• Start points for editing; not a blank canvas
• Who can edit• Which parts can they edit
• Clear navigation structure• Simple navigation
• Acceptable & unacceptable use
Sample Group Project Using Wikis
sites.google.com/site/edtc6434winter2010teamxwiki/project-instructions
More Activity Ideas for Wikis
• Brainstorming of ideas• Outlining text materials• Drafting weekly summaries of instructional
content• Collecting bibliography of supplemental
resources• Creating interactive glossary of key terms• …the list goes on, limited only by your
imagination!
Free Wiki Tools
• Google Sites – sites.google.com• Intodit – intodit.com• PBworks – pbworks.com• springnote – springnote.com• Wikispaces – wikispaces.com
Directory of Wiki Tools:• c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/wiki.html
Selecting the Right Wiki Tool
• Does your institution already offer and/or support a wiki tool?
• Is free hosting available?• Is a “WYSIWYG” (What You See Is What You
Get) editor built into the wiki?• Is special “wiki markup” needed for advanced
editing?• How long will the wiki be available to
students?
Selecting the Right Wiki Tool – cont.
• Can pages be made either public or private?• Can other files be uploaded & stored with wiki
pages?• Can other media elements be embedded in
wiki pages? (e.g. videos, spreadsheets, calendars, etc.)
• How well does the wiki tool integrate with other online services?
• How stable is the wiki hosting provider?
Wiki Issues & Limitations
• Authorization of users (ie: Users must have a login to the wiki tool)
• Monitoring for inappropriate use • Risks to allowing manipulation of site data• Structuring initial content & pages can be a
challenge• How one accesses information, navigates,
creates links, etc. must be addressed early• Often represents collective perspective
Keep in Mind…
"When it comes to learning, technology doesn’t matter, but structure does."
- Eric Wignall
Questions & Answers
• What additional questions do you have?
Presenter Contact Info
Jason [email protected] (email)twitter.com/jrhode (twitter)jasonrhode.com (blog)niu.edu/~jrhode (web)815.209.9783 (phone)facebook.com/jasonrhodephd (facebook)