COLLABORATIVE WEB 2.0 TOOLS IN EDUCATION USING WIKIS & BLOGS IN THE CLASSROOM

COLLABORATIVE WEB 2.0 TOOLS Most schools have a stated goal of further integrating technology in the curriculum. Wikis & blogs are becoming popular means to accomplish that goal. When used effectively, “Web 2.0” tools such as these can help accomplish the following goals: Increase Motivation Determine Prior Knowledge Supporting Student Debates Providing a Central Location for Assignments Providing Feedback from Peers

COLLABORATIVE WEB 2.0 TOOLS Collaboration is the guiding principle with Web 2.0 resources. Many students already use them in their personal lives, so incorporating them into education can be an effective way to keep students engaged and motivated.

COLLABORATIVE WEB 2.0 TOOLS Students will encounter collaborative online resources and methods in the future, so it is becoming more important that today’s students have experience and skills with these resources, as well as skills in effectively collaborating with others. Higher Education is increasingly using online collaborative tools Many corporations are utilizing collaborative tools. These include IBM, Nokia, Motorola, and Michelin. “…opportunity to transition from face-to-face teaching to high-quality, online-accessible, 24/7 education” (Shinsky & Stevens, 2011)

WIKIS IN THE CLASSROOM In general, web 2.0 resources lend themselves to collaboration and are, therefore, perfect for group work and interaction. So, the question is how does one effectively use these resources to foster collaboration and learning?

WIKIS IN THE CLASSROOM At the teacher level, they can serve as a class website complete with notes, resources, and instructions that are available at any time to the students.

WIKIS IN THE CLASSROOM For student use, they have been seen used for collaborative writing projects or project-based learning in which students can design, plan, and document their work. Upon completion of an assignment, wikis can also allow the students to reflect on the topic by tracing the development of the wiki. In a way, this construction of knowledge is similar to the discussion postings prevalent in online classes for several years.

WIKIS IN THE CLASSROOM A Wiki by definition is a collaborative web site whose content can be edited by visitors to the site, allowing users to easily create and edit web pages collaboratively. According to the study conducted by Kevin Parker and Joseph Chao (2007), wikis provide the perfect platform for collaborative learning, which promotes the following benefits: Positive interdependence of group members and individual accountability Cooperative teams have been shown to achieve higher levels of thought and retain information longer than students who work individually. Facilitates sharing and distributing knowledge and expertise among a community of learners. Enhance asynchronous communication and cooperative learning among students Serves as a knowledge platform where members of the community can share their knowledge with the group, work together, and discuss specific topics.

WIKIS IN THE CLASSROOM Examples of Wiki Projects: Students can use a wiki to develop research projects, with the wiki serving as ongoing documentation of their work. Students can add summaries of their thoughts from the prescribed readings, building a collaborative annotated bibliography. A wiki can be used for publishing course resources like syllabi and handouts, and students can edit and comment on these directly for all to see. Teachers can use wikis as a knowledge base, allowing them to share reflections and thoughts regarding teaching practices. Wikis can be used to map concepts. This includes brainstorming and creating a linked network of resources. A wiki can be used as a presentation tool in place of conventional software, and students are able to directly comment on and revise the presentation content. Wikis are tools for group authoring. This allows group members to build and edit the wiki on a single, central page.

BLOGS IN THE CLASSROOM Blogs provide a similar, though more controlled, online platform for collaboration. Research of effective classroom blog use shows that the best results come from teachers who “create ongoing conversations among students and ‘always-on’ learning communities” (Light, 2011).

BLOGS IN THE CLASSROOM Essentially, this means that using blogs (or any web 2.0 tool) in daily practice can provide much more beneficial results for both students and teachers than only using it for special projects. Perhaps the main difference from a wiki is that the actual blog content is typically created by the owner rather than the entire class. However, collaboration still occurs as readers can post comments and have a virtual discussion on the topic.

BLOGS IN THE CLASSROOM The most common use of blogging involves classroom blogs instead of individual student blogs. Most involve the teacher posting a prompt question and allowing the class to begin commenting. The result is a virtual discussion in which students create a collaborative learning environment. This use of blogging, like wikis, will allow for at least one of four pedagogical objectives: Eliciting Prior knowledge Generating Interest Supporting Student Debates Providing students with feedback from their peers

BLOGS IN THE CLASSROOM Example: Using a Blog for Formative Assessment A teacher creates a blog task prior to each unit to explore prior knowledge. For example, a history teacher may ask “what do you know about the Civil War?” Students will reply with an answer and then comment on each other’s postings. As discussion begins, students begin to challenge and explore their own knowledge and assumptions. This can ignite interest and engagement among students while also providing a measure of prior knowledge for the teacher.

OBSTACLES AND SOLUTIONS IT Policies: Many schools have security policies in place that block access to wiki and blog sites. These policies will have to be amended so that the chosen resources can be accessed by teachers and students. Lack of Training: In most cases, there is no formal training on the use of wikis/blogs and on how to best utilize them to promote collaborative learning. Training should be set up in at least two phases. First, the basics on how to create and edit wikis/blogs would need to be covered. Second, training should be set up on how to best promote collaborative learning and interaction based around content areas. Training and workshops could then be continued on an as needed basis as a means to keep the use of the tools up to date and as effective as possible.

OBSTACLES AND SOLUTIONS The primary goal of lifting IT policies and providing content-based training is to encourage use of these tools as a normal, everyday tool in the classroom. Based on research, the continuous use of these tools relates to better collaboration, discussion, and student engagement. Another recommendation would be to start a wiki specifically for teachers. This wiki would be a way for teachers to compile resources and share with others new information or methods for using these tools. An example can be seen by clicking here. This would create an expanding knowledge base for teachers to refer to.An example can be seen by clicking here.