Using a Wiki as a Learning Environment Portia Pusey Towson University College of Education Technology Day June 4, :40 – 11:40 PY 300

Limitations of the technology found in the research Difficult to use Students did not actively participate when the assignment was voluntary Small communities did not engage learners Students were reluctant to edit each other’s pages Inconsistently formatted pages are difficult to use Text heavy entries do not appeal to all learning styles

Recommendations for technology User authentication system Support for popular browsers such as Internet Explorer Netscape, Mozilla, and Safari Thread mode Image and video uploads Tracking portfolios of edits and updates tied to individual users History Page WYSIWYG editor Page locking system Help link Searchable audio and video (not yet available)

Recommendations for Learning Activity Assignment Page Templates Guidelines for Posting Required Feedback Required Reading

Lessons Learned Works with small and large groups Short time period Students hate the feedback ▫Provide alternate assessed activity  Scavenger Hunt  Quiz  Hybrid Format ▫Eliminate the spelling and grammar feedback option? ▫Feedback should be balanced to 10 unique comments per content page Organize topic list according to due date Update main page to reflect due dates Assessments can be time consuming

Two sites to explore Cheryl Wood’s great customized site ▫ After you receive your invitation, log into my wiki and explore student examples and practice editing. ▫