Blogs and Wikis for the Classroom and Administration

Wikis and Blogs for Classrooms & Admin Web 2.0 @ NUS Kenneth Pinto Centre for Instructional Technology

Wikis
About wikis
Wikis for…?
Case Study – Academic
Case Study – Admin
Advantages
Disadvantages
Practical Deployment Tips
About wikis

About wikis

A Wiki is… About wikis

… an airport shuttle bus

Hawai’ian for quick About wikis

Webpage anyone* can edit About wikis

Features
Editable blank pages
*Permissions
History
Discussion
Hierarchical Structure
About wikis - Features

Editable blank pages

Permissions About wikis - Features    Write    Read Selected NUS users NUS only Everyone

Permissions About wikis - Features  Write   Read Selected NUS users NUS only Everyone

Permissions About wikis - Features  Write  Read Selected NUS users NUS only Everyone

Permissions About wikis - Features
Individuals
NUSNET ID
Groups
Exchange mailing lists

History About wikis

History History About wikis

Comments About wikis - Features Perhaps we can do it this way… Should we change this?

Hierarchical Structure
Nested pages
About wikis – Features

Wikis for…?

Wikis for…? (Academic)
Group projects
Collaborative writing
Glossary/Knowledgebase
Edit a pre-existing article on Wikipedia
Wikis for…?

Wikis for…? (Admin)
Meeting Minutes
Documentation
User Guides
Glossary/Knowledgebase
Planning Events
Wikis for…?

Case Study - Academic

CS1105 – Computing & Society
Collaborative Writing Project
Groups wrote on different areas
Lecturers could see progress

Monitoring progress through history Case Study - Academic

CS1105 – Computing & Society
Collaborative Writing Project
Groups wrote on different areas
Lecturers could see progress
Students learn to work collaboratively
Students learn about using wikis

Case Study - Admin

BuzzEd Planning
eLearning Seminar
Used wiki for coordination
Meeting minutes
To do list
Speakers’ bios & synopses
Case Study - Admin

Speakers’ Bios & Synopses
Different staff handling different speakers
Changes being made to speakers’ list
Various staff needed access to bios & synopses
Case Study - Admin

Speakers’ List About wikis

Speaker’s Bio and Synopsis Case study - Admin

All well and good until… Case Study - Admin

Email came into the picture Case Study - Admin

Advantages
One unified document
All work on same page(s)
Always see the latest version
Versions are tracked
Access anywhere with a web browser
Advantages

Disadvantages
Learning curve involved
Pioneers have to start from scratch
Not a synchronous tool
May be difficult to get people on board
Disadvantages

Project drivers should populate wiki
People baulk at a blank slate
Training for users involved
“ Did you refer to the wiki?”
Define wiki roles
For classrooms
Specify objectives clearly
Scaffold

Roles
Coordinator
Contributors
Editor
Layout
All should
Watch changes & comments

Wiki.nus wiki.nus.edu.sg

Exploring Wiki.nus
Visit http:// wiki.nus.edu.sg /
Log in with your NUSNET credentials (without the NUSSTF domain)
Explore the wikis or meddle with the Demonstration Space: http:// wiki.nus.edu.sg /display/ds

Log in to Wiki.nus NUSNET User ID & Password

Blogs
About blogs
Blogs for…?
Examples
Advantages
Disadvantages
About blogs

Blogs
Template-driven websites made of posts with the ability for users to comment

Web logs About blogs

Weblogs About blogs

blogs About blogs

danah boyd
A Blogger's Blog: Exploring the Definition of a Medium. In Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture, 6 (4).
Medium not genre About blogs

Personal publishing not personal journal About blogs

Features
Posts
Reverse Chronological
Archives
Categories/Labels
Comments
Each post is a page
Feed
About blogs - Features

Blogs for…?

Blogs for…? (Academic)
Recording your work
Self reflection
Peer reflection
Patrick Janssen, SDE
http:// blog.nus.edu.sg/patrick/design -studio-blogs/
Blogs for…?

Blogs for… ? (Academic)
Blogs in English language teaching and learning: Pedagogical uses and student responses
Brad Blackstone, John Spiri & Naeko Naganuma
Reflections on English Language Teaching
Volume 6, 2007. Number 2
http:// www.nus.edu.sg/celc/ publications/RETL62/01to20blackstone.pdf
Blogs for…?

Blogs for…? (Admin)
Newsletters
CIT, NUS Libraries, OQM, BBA
Knowledge Sharing
Personal Development
Staff Welfare
Blogs for…?

AR2101 – Design 3
Patrick Janssen’s workshop group made to blog
Document entire project process
Preliminary investigation and thoughts
Conceptual designs
Prototyping
Actual building and testing
Setting up

AR2101 – Design 3 Case Study - Academic

Case Study - Admin

LINUSonline
NUS Libraries online newsletter
Reproduces physical LINUS newsletter
Additional updates, anecdotes
Case Study - Admin

LINUSonline Case Study - Admin

Advantages
Students aware that work is public
Peer/public review
Lifelong learning
Encourage reflection & conversation
More than text
Google juice
Advantages

Disadvantages
The credibility issue
Classroom blogs difficult to manage if there are many students
even with RSS/feeds
Disadvantages

Blog.nus blog.nus.edu.sg

Blog.nus Dashboard Runs on Wordpress, Hosted by Edublogs

Exploring Blog.nus
Visit http:// blog.nus.edu.sg /
Students and staff can create blogs for academic, educational, research and administrative purposes

NUS Web 2.0 Directory
http:// wiki.nus.edu.sg /display/web2nus

Finally, a comparison
Blogs vs Wikis vs Online Documents
Differences subtle
Blogs vs Wikis
Blogs time-sensitive
Wikis vs Online Documents
Wiki is a website, possibly complex
Comparison

Right tool for the right purpose

Photo Credits
Slide 5 – Wikis | Obligatory WIki Photo by Alan Levine | cc by http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/19490596/
Slide 42 – Blogs | Work by Winston Avich | cc by http://www.flickr.com/photos/winstonavich/189032152/
Slide 69 – Right tool for the right purpose | Wrong tool for the job by Turi Becker| cc by-nc-sa http://www.flickr.com/photos/turi_b/697794899/

Thank You!
Questions?
Kenneth Pinto
[email_address]
6516 1531

Blogs and Wikis for the Classroom and Administration

by Kenneth Pinto on Jan 11, 2009

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Blogs and Wikis for the Classroom and Administration — Presentation Transcript

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