New Media in Education
Blogs & Wikis for Interactive Learning
Dr. Chris Greer Georgia College & State University
blogWhat is a blog?
• Short for web log or weblog
• Generally contains text, links, and sometimes images
• Very popular among political pundits, technology sites, and individuals who want to share their lives with an online audience
• Began back in 1994
• There are now hundreds of thousands, if not millions
educationEducational Uses?• Most colleges use Web CT or a variant, great tools but cold interface
• Online classes are heavily dependent on good discussion among the class
• Good discussion can depend on how easily the course is accessed
• Clean layout helps with the overall experience
educationEducational Uses?• Great way to disperse the latest content
• Can be an excellent resource for students to use later in their careers
• Not as out-of-date as a textbook
distanceUsing a blog for distance learning• Make a post on a topic each week
• The comments section is used as a discussion board
• Students are strongly encouraged to discuss each topic, share opinions, and raise new questions
• Students are also “guest bloggers”
Past Blogs
Information Technology in the Media Center
Info Tech / School Technology Hybrid
School Based Technology Systems
feedbackBlog feedback• Feedback from students about the blog experience has been very
positive
• Vast majority of students prefer to blog over a more traditional online class
• I continue to use blogs in my classes, as well as make revisions to how it is used
• Cons?
wikiWhat is a wiki?• A small, efficient piece of software that lets users easily create and
edit basic web pages
• Supports hyperlinks, uses a simplistic markup system for formatting
• Can be run on just about any server that allows PHP
• Totally free!
at workWikis at work• Wikipedia.org is one great example of how Wikis can be used
• Stimulates group thinking, building of collaborative knowledge
• Can be a great benefit to the classroom
• Allows users who lack technical skills to still take part in the creation process
classroomWikis in the classroom?• Assign a project to the class, allow them to build the project in a wiki
• Can be great for online learning, creates a common meeting place for the content to be organized
• Can be a helpful addition to K-12 and higher education classes as well
• Creates that online component that supplements the face to face instruction
Let’s check out a working Wiki