Collaborative Literacy: Wikified Notes
One of the things I am trying for the second time this semester, is assigning wiki contributions as part of my class. I tried this last semester with mixed results. I created a wiki and suggested topics for students to contribute on, and had the class work on it as a whole, with the expectation that all of the information on the wiki would help them with their midterms and final projects. My problem was in not providing enough structure. So, this semester I did something a bit different, had set expectations, and have been working with students to get them to contribute since the first weeks of class, rather than all at once. Again, I have had mixed results. What this boils down to is needing to find the right mix of guidelines and freedom. Enter The Salt Box and Wikified Class Notes. Jason Jones’s post covers his framing of the wiki assignment, the reasons he uses it, and the specific guidlines he gives students. ( I wish I had found this before I started my semester.) Like me Jason uses PBWiki (which I think is not the most feature rich platform, but it is free, caters to educators and is easy to use for those not familiar with wikis).
February 2nd, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Hi David,
I was happy to stumble across your blog today.
Like you, I use PBWiki to administer my class at Bentley College, and have been requiring students to take turns sharing their notes on the class wiki. I created a schedule where two students are assigned to post their notes after every given class session, and at least twice during the semester, all other students must add to notes that their classmates post. PBwiki published this case study about my class wiki, and there’s also a video tour so you can take a closer look.
Please feel free to contact me about the use of Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom. — Mark
February 4th, 2008 at 2:33 am
Thanks for sharing your examples and concerns with using wikis in higher ed. I just wrote a book on the use of various web 2.0 tools in the classroom, but with the focus on K-12. I think using a blog or wiki to develop a “crowd-sourced” collection of what’s being covered in class is an awesome idea, and I’m interested in your successes with it!