For those of you who subscribe to Edutopia, you may have recently received the same email I did from Will Richardson. When I saw this in my inbox, I was WOWed by the coincidence that I was in the midst of reading his Blogs, Wikis & Podcasts book. Then guilt set in that I had missed out on the webinar he had done for Edutopia - that I had intended to participate in.
Fortunately, Mr. Richardson's email reassured me that I could still benefit from the webinar by viewing it online at http://www.edutopia.org/media/webinar/richardson/webinar1.html. So for your viewing pleasure, I share it here with you. Unfortunately, for me, when I clicked play to view the webinar, my browser froze and I got kicked off the Internet entirely. If anyone finds a way to view this, via Edutopia (because I couldn't) or elsewhere, I'm interested - please share.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Wikis Defined
As I was looking for an "official" definition for 'wiki', I searched dictionary.com to see what they had to say. What I found were three definitions, one related to the geographical origins of the word wiki, another defining the 'quick' aspect of a wiki and a third that I thought was perfect for sharing with teachers!
Any collaborative website that users can easily modify via the web, typically without restriction. A wiki allows anyone, using a web browser, to edit, delete or modify content that has been placed on the site, including the work of other authors. This has been found to work surprisingly well since contributors tend to be more numerous and persistent than vandals and old versions of pages are always available.
It has been my experience that the majority of teachers hear the word 'wiki', their brains think 'WIKIpedia' and then it shuts down. These teachers don't seem to think it's valuable for students, or anyone for that matter, to be able to "edit, delete or modify content" of others online. I'm guessing this is because they're stuck in the textbook mindset of 'don't write in the book, don't tear out the pages, don't vandalize the written word'. This is where I thought the last line of the above definition may help sell the idea of wikis to teachers and set them on the path toward changing this mindset.
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References:
wiki. (n.d.). The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wiki
Any collaborative website that users can easily modify via the web, typically without restriction. A wiki allows anyone, using a web browser, to edit, delete or modify content that has been placed on the site, including the work of other authors. This has been found to work surprisingly well since contributors tend to be more numerous and persistent than vandals and old versions of pages are always available.
It has been my experience that the majority of teachers hear the word 'wiki', their brains think 'WIKIpedia' and then it shuts down. These teachers don't seem to think it's valuable for students, or anyone for that matter, to be able to "edit, delete or modify content" of others online. I'm guessing this is because they're stuck in the textbook mindset of 'don't write in the book, don't tear out the pages, don't vandalize the written word'. This is where I thought the last line of the above definition may help sell the idea of wikis to teachers and set them on the path toward changing this mindset.
_______________________________________
References:
wiki. (n.d.). The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wiki
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Just wondering . . .
As I think about blogs, journaling and writing, in general, I start wondering how and why? First, HOW will I ever have enough time to spill out my thoughts and ideas onto the digital page and HOW will/can this help me, let alone students, in the realm of academia? Second, WHY would I ever want to spill out my thoughts and ideas to the masses (no offense, established bloggers) and WHY would I encourage others to do so?
Actually, I have had some "ah-ha" moments with regard to blogging! By putting away the old black-and-white marble composition notebooks, students could use this digital medium to elicit responses from not only their teachers but also from their peers (who they tend to care more about and at times find more real). The reality of this would mean having one computer per student. Again with the how - How do teachers accomplish this easily?
Another "ah-ha" was when it dawned on me that blogs could be used as data diaries. Time may be an issue when it comes to lengthy, well-constructed, journal writing, but to quickly throw down some information - now that might work. There are things that happen that are worthy of noting that might be quick and easy in a blog - chronicling events, remembering quotes, logging the temperature, noting patterns in behavior.
Now that I think about it, there were, and still are times, that my own children will do or say something incredible. When I tell my mother about these things, she always says, "I hope you're writing this down somewhere." Unfortunately, I haven't. Life and lack of quick and easy documentation have gotten in the way. For all those times my children were doing and saying great things and my Mom reminded me I wouldn't want to forget - it would have been nice to have a blog.
Actually, I have had some "ah-ha" moments with regard to blogging! By putting away the old black-and-white marble composition notebooks, students could use this digital medium to elicit responses from not only their teachers but also from their peers (who they tend to care more about and at times find more real). The reality of this would mean having one computer per student. Again with the how - How do teachers accomplish this easily?
Another "ah-ha" was when it dawned on me that blogs could be used as data diaries. Time may be an issue when it comes to lengthy, well-constructed, journal writing, but to quickly throw down some information - now that might work. There are things that happen that are worthy of noting that might be quick and easy in a blog - chronicling events, remembering quotes, logging the temperature, noting patterns in behavior.
Now that I think about it, there were, and still are times, that my own children will do or say something incredible. When I tell my mother about these things, she always says, "I hope you're writing this down somewhere." Unfortunately, I haven't. Life and lack of quick and easy documentation have gotten in the way. For all those times my children were doing and saying great things and my Mom reminded me I wouldn't want to forget - it would have been nice to have a blog.
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