There is a vast amount of websites for teaching and learning online. The manner in which students learn online is through a desktop computer or laptop. There is the option of teleconferencing so students and teachers can see one another and "meet". There is collaborating with wikis, blogs and discussion boards online. There are a few tools that aid in collaboration. Let's discuss each venue....
WIKIS:
Wikis are natural tools for collaboration. In practice, they are frequently used for collaboratively constructing knowledge, as in the case of Wikipedia. They are starting to be used more for educational purposes as well, usually with a similar emphasis on building a collaborative knowledge base, but wikis also have great potential for other kinds of cooperative learning. Change tracking provides an easy way to monitor and assess each of our contributions to wikis.
I would like to share what I got out of an article I found that describes how the author used a wiki-based website in a real analysis course, and assesses its effectiveness. The wiki was used to post course materials, maintain a forum, enable students to write collaborative projects, and enable students to develop a glossary of important terms. The wiki proved to be very successful; it facilitated student collaboration, and even helped them to study for examinations.
There are several features of wikis that are beneficial for an online class. They include:
:
Online authoring: a single document may be edited anywhere the Internet is accessible.
Collaborative authoring: multiple users may easily edit the same document, and user-access may be controlled.
Streamlined markup language: documents may be edited without needing to learn more code-intensive languages like HTML.
Linking structure: wikis are built as collections of pages with an abundance of links between them; frequently the linking is done automatically.
Change tracking: wikis allow users to see prior versions of the page, who edited the page, and what they changed.
Given the features described above, a wiki would be a natural tool for enhancing cooperative learning, and instructor-student communication. Specific objectives for a course wiki is to: 1) encourage collaboration among students; 2) expose students to collaborative technologies; 3) the movement towards collaborative projects; 4) simplified content maintenance and; 5) collaborative completion of training modules. These specific benefits were highlighted in many of my readings on wikis and the “collaborative-document pattern” they follow (Horton, 2012, p. 412). In addition to these, I found wikis to prove helpful in disseminating information quickly and effortlessly to a secure location accessible to only those knowing the correct password (Deters, Cuthrell, & Stapleton, 2010, p. 132).
Yes, there are challenges using wikis....
A fellow by the name of John P. Workman admitted the greatest challenge he and many users face in using wikis is “the time and technical expertise” needed to effectively manage them (Workman, 2008, p. 23).
There are a few other challenges that may present themselves when using wiki technology, including: 1) lack of familiarity with the wiki format and editing process.; 2) hesitation to provide input fearing that contributions will be replaced by other group member’s due to their ability to edit information freely and simultaneously, and; 3) sheer variety of available wiki technology/modules to choose from. (Johnson & Simms, 2013, p. 27)
BLOGS:
A blog is a frequently updated online personal journal or diary. For our educational purposes we’ll say that a blog is a website for a class to stay in touch and share ideas that students will update on an ongoing basis. Blog is a short form for the word weblog and the two words are used interchangeably.
DISCUSSION BOARDS: A discussion board is an online tool which allows classes to communicate asynchronously. A discussion board is made up of forums which are folders containing messages on a subject. The forums contain threads which are a series of messages relating to a particular question or topic and each individual contribution to a conversation is called a post. References: Blog Basics, (2015) Retrieved from: http://blogbasics.com/what-is-a-blog/#ixzz3gwujaH3o
Deters, F., Cuthrell, K., Stapleton, J. (2010, March). Why wikis? Student perceptions of using wikis in online coursework. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 6(1). Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no1/deters_0310.htm
Johnson, L.M. & Sims, R. (2013, June). A case of wikis and contradictions: Activity systems, classroom community, and instructional design for collaborative online learning. Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 3(1), 19-31. Available from http://www.jaidpub.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Johnson-Sims-MAY2013.pdf
There is a vast amount of websites for teaching and learning online. The manner in which students learn online is through a desktop computer or laptop. There is the option of teleconferencing so students and teachers can see one another and "meet". There is collaborating with wikis, blogs and discussion boards online. There are a few tools that aid in collaboration. Let's discuss each venue....
WIKIS:
Wikis are natural tools for collaboration. In practice, they are frequently used for collaboratively constructing knowledge, as in the case of Wikipedia. They are starting to be used more for educational purposes as well, usually with a similar emphasis on building a collaborative knowledge base, but wikis also have great potential for other kinds of cooperative learning. Change tracking provides an easy way to monitor and assess each of our contributions to wikis.
I would like to share what I got out of an article I found that describes how the author used a wiki-based website in a real analysis course, and assesses its effectiveness. The wiki was used to post course materials, maintain a forum, enable students to write collaborative projects, and enable students to develop a glossary of important terms. The wiki proved to be very successful; it facilitated student collaboration, and even helped them to study for examinations.
There are several features of wikis that are beneficial for an online class. They include:
:
Given the features described above, a wiki would be a natural tool for enhancing cooperative learning, and instructor-student communication. Specific objectives for a course wiki is to: 1) encourage collaboration among students; 2) expose students to collaborative technologies; 3) the movement towards collaborative projects; 4) simplified content maintenance and; 5) collaborative completion of training modules. These specific benefits were highlighted in many of my readings on wikis and the “collaborative-document pattern” they follow (Horton, 2012, p. 412). In addition to these, I found wikis to prove helpful in disseminating information quickly and effortlessly to a secure location accessible to only those knowing the correct password (Deters, Cuthrell, & Stapleton, 2010, p. 132).
Yes, there are challenges using wikis....
A fellow by the name of John P. Workman admitted the greatest challenge he and many users face in using wikis is “the time and technical expertise” needed to effectively manage them (Workman, 2008, p. 23).
There are a few other challenges that may present themselves when using wiki technology, including: 1) lack of familiarity with the wiki format and editing process.; 2) hesitation to provide input fearing that contributions will be replaced by other group member’s due to their ability to edit information freely and simultaneously, and; 3) sheer variety of available wiki technology/modules to choose from. (Johnson & Simms, 2013, p. 27)
BLOGS:
A blog is a frequently updated online personal journal or diary. For our educational purposes we’ll say that a blog is a website for a class to stay in touch and share ideas that students will update on an ongoing basis. Blog is a short form for the word weblog and the two words are used interchangeably.
DISCUSSION BOARDS:
A discussion board is an online tool which allows classes to communicate asynchronously. A discussion board is made up of forums which are folders containing messages on a subject. The forums contain threads which are a series of messages relating to a particular question or topic and each individual contribution to a conversation is called a post.
References:
Blog Basics, (2015) Retrieved from: http://blogbasics.com/what-is-a-blog/#ixzz3gwujaH3o
Deters, F., Cuthrell, K., Stapleton, J. (2010, March). Why wikis? Student perceptions of using wikis in online coursework. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 6(1). Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no1/deters_0310.htm
Johnson, L.M. & Sims, R. (2013, June). A case of wikis and contradictions: Activity systems, classroom community, and instructional design for collaborative online learning. Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 3(1), 19-31. Available from http://www.jaidpub.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Johnson-Sims-MAY2013.pdf
Peterson, E. PRIMUS, (2009, Jan.). Using a Wiki to Enhance Cooperative Learning in a Real Analysis Course, v19 n1 p18-28, 11 pp. Retreived from: http://search.proquest.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/docview/213423774?accountid=32521
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Teaching and Learning Innovative Park, Using Discussion Boards. Retrieved from:
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