Week 3 Reflection

Week 3 of ICTs for learning design forced me to extend my knowledge from Web 1.0 to learn about Web 2.0 tools and online spaces. Web 2.0 is often referred to as the "read-write" web and usually has inbuilt toolbars similar to Word or PowerPoint. It must be noted that Web 2.0 is still owned by you, however other individuals and groups can publish, share, network, download, upload to create user-generated content. From learning this background knowledge about the Web interfaces, I then experimented with three basic "read-write" tools; Blogs, Wikis, and Websites.

After doing this I then choose to explore more in-depth Wikis and their use in an educational setting. I constructed the analysis by conducting a PMI (Plus, Minus, and Interesting) table.

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·         Many Wiki hosting platforms are free ·         Instant interaction with others   ·         Ability to post almost any form of information - video, picture, etc. ·         Quick to set up ·         Can be accessed anywhere with internet connection	·         Information is online and available for anybody to see ·         Anybody can access - potential for incorrect information posted	·         21st century teaching

I believe Wikis have a place in the educational setting, they offer teaching beyond the classroom walls. They also have the ability for instantaneous feedback which is almost a must in the 21st century. Yes there are negatives of Wikis, largely regular maintenance to keep information correct and well presented. However I believe the positives of this platform outweighs negatives. A prime example of this is Wikipedia: It has become the largest and most popular general reference work on the internet and estimates to have over 365 million readers worldwide (Trancer, 2007). So the question I propose to you is, why can't this technology work in the classroom but be so successful all over the world?

An example of a successful educational wiki for middle school science can be found here.

For those interested here is my personal wiki which took about 20 minutes to make.

Finally for all the visual learners reading this blog, check out the following video which explains the uses of Wikis in classrooms.

References  

Holmes, G. (2013, Febuary 13). Web2.0. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115356

Kharbach, M. (2012). Teachers Guide on the use of Wikis in Education. Retrieved from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/07/teachers-guide-on-use-of-wikis-in.html

Trancer, B. (2007). Look Who's Using Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1595184,00.html