WIKIS IN THE CLASSROOM MITZI LEWIS, MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY “OPTIONS FOR ONLINE DELIVERY” PANEL AEJMC 2011 CONFERENCE AUGUST 10, 2011
May 16, 2015
WIKIS IN THE CLASSROOMMITZI LEWIS, MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
“OPTIONS FOR ONLINE DELIVERY” PANEL
AEJMC 2011 CONFERENCE
AUGUST 10, 2011
WHY WIKI?
Journalism and mass communication are changing…
So is the way we teach!
THEN VS NOW
Analog Digital
Tethered Mobile
Isolated Connected
Generic Personal
Consumption Creating
Closed OpenSource: David Wiley, 2010 TEDXNYED
EDUCATION VS EVERYDAY
Analog Digital
Tethered Mobile
Isolated Connected
Generic Personal
Consumption Creating
Closed OpenSource: David Wiley, 2010 TEDXNYED
WHY WIKI?
Improve learning
Put learning in the hands of students, with your guidance
Encourage collaboration, engagement
Save time
Stay organized
Convenient access
WHY WIKI?
"I can do in five minutes now what would take me 15 when I was hunting for physical files and bringing them to the copier. That’s a pretty big savings when you multiply it by several classes each, several times per week.”
– Marjorie Gross, Carteret Community College
WHY WIKI?
”I like how the wiki interface makes editing the web page very easy. In fact, it’s much easier than [other] web page resources…or the Blackboard course platform.”
– Steven Alan Carr, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne
WHAT IS A WIKI?
Wiki – Hawaiian for quick
Easily edited web page
Allows for multiple authors, sharing, and collaboration
TYPES OF WIKISWeb Hosted
Open Source Enterprise
Expertise level
Beginner Advanced Varies
CostSome free Free Fixed price/license or
monthly/yearly fee
Exampleproviders
PbwikiWikispacesWetpaint
MediaWikiTwiki
JiveConfluenceMindTouchSocialtext
Source: Stewart Mader, 2008
Compare these and many more at wikimatrix.org
WAYS TO USE WIKIS FOR TEACHING
Supplement traditional classes
Deliver content for online classes
WAYS TO USE WIKIS FOR TEACHING
DocumentSyllabus
Schedule
Assignments
Resources
FAQ
ConnectCollaborate
Organize
Discuss
Peer review
Final product
STUDENTS LIKE WIKIS
24/7 access to course materials
Clarify/reinforce understanding from class
Ownership
STUDENTS LIKE WIKIS
“The wiki was a great idea. It helped me stay updated and I liked being able to communicate with the other students.” (supplemental)
“You are including most everything we need to know on the weekly lesson page. It is very helpful to have it right there, instead of digging back through older pages to hunt down what we need to do. The embedded links take us right where we need to be for each weeks studies. You give lots of hints and instructions.” (online)
COMMON CHALLENGES
Students can be uncomfortable with:
Software
Collaboration
Self-directed work
Critiquing/editing others’ work
TechnologySource: Barbara Schroeder, 2008
HOW OPEN?
Source: University of Deleware, 2008
BEST PRACTICES1. Stress (a) your (potential) limitations from the outset
and (b) the idea of learning together
2. Include detailed wiki instructions or a link on the home page and provide time and space for practice (a sandbox page is a good way to start)
3. Do basic wiki training several times in class
4. Post wiki conventions and require participants to abide by them (e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki_etiquette)
5. Be patient with students and realize they may require technical assistance as they learn how to participate in a wiki environment
BEST PRACTICES
6. Create a culture of trust within the wiki
7. Provide clear and explicit course expectations
8. Assign meaningful, authentic activities
9. Include a common goal for collaborative activities
10. Define and identify student roles, activities, and assessments
11. Remind students of course deadlines and schedules
12. Model examples of collaborative activities
BEST PRACTICES
13. Use two wikis for each class – one for course materials and one for collaborative student assignments
14. Choose a platform that is multifunctional
15. Keep a close eye on your wiki – I’ve had some hijackers add spam
16. Understand versioning
17. Link to other social media and websites and have students do the same
BEST PRACTICES
18. Keep the wiki open and solicit input from professionals
19. Keep the wiki private when sharing non-public information
20. Make students use the wiki – it needs to be a requirement (for a grade), posting and editing
21. Use for assignments in smaller classes – can be tricky to grade assignments with larger classes
WHAT DO I NEED TO GET STARTED?
WHAT DO I NEED TO GET STARTED?
BEST PRACTICE SOURCES & EXAMPLES
Barbara Boise
Steven Alan Carr
Helen Caple
Kay Colley
Donica Messing
Ian Reilly
David Wiley
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
Contact info:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @mitzilewis
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mitzilewis
Google+: gplus.to/mitzilewis
VIDEO AND IMAGE SOURCEShttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU
http://www.aejmcstlouis.org/home/aejmc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY
http://opencontent.littleotak.org/wiki/index.php?title=New_Media,_Social_Media,_and_Learning_Syllabus
http://com531.pbworks.com/w/page/13782051/syllabus
http://writingformassmedia.pbworks.com/w/page/14929197/FrontPage
http://editingtxwesleyan.pbworks.com/w/page/18572641/Other-Wikis-for-Mass-Communication-Courses
http://jour101.wikispaces.com/home
http://arts1091.unsw.wikispaces.net/
http://waysofseeing.wetpaint.com/page/Syllabus
http://www.udel.edu/sakai/training/printable/wiki/Wikis_in_Higher_Education_UD.pdf
http://www.images-graphics-pics.com/signs/safety/clipart.asp?pic=no-money-down-loan
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cloud_computing_icon.svg