Activity 10.1 - putting knowledge into practice

A report to second language instructors on how and why they might want to use wikis for second language learning. Possible issues to contend with and possible strategies to help overcome them. Concludes with a comprehensive bibliography for instructors to review as follow up to the handout.

Wikis and second language learning: What's all the fuss?

There is currently a lot of interest in wikis for educational purposes. What is a wiki? Is this interest valid? What is all the excitement about? A review of current literature suggests the following general reasons for this interest and its relevance to students.


A wiki is essentially a website that

• is easy to create, easy to author, easy to use (like an online virtual word processor) .. thus students of almost any age can help build
• supports dynamic content; this can come in many different digital forms (not just text but pictures, slide shows, audio and video as well) all of which can be added, arranged, edited, reviewed and commented upon by some, any, or all students ..
• promotes reflection , review and revision of one's work ; ..individual students can find, filter and assemble digital content that reflects their interest, and understanding of a class assignment .. and review, revise it if their ideas or understanding of concepts change as a result of interactions with their peers
• promotes collaboration with peers .. thus students can not only share their own understanding of a project but review the work of their peers to then learn from one another, negotiate understanding, collectively construct meaning and then work as a group to collate this work and then present it as a finished group presentation
• promotes tracking of development .. students can view a history of the wiki's revisions to track what revisions were made, when and by whom .. to make comparisons between iterations .. and track their development / learning
• is free and accessibile 24/7 .. thus students can work individually or as groups at home or at college
• can be made available to a real audience .. thus students can opt to present their finished presentations so that they can be shared with a real audience whether that be the class, the school, the region, the world AND invite that audience's reviews and comments

>(video)
A TV like commercial for why an educator might want to use a wiki. (alwaygolf, 2007)
Duration - 1:12 min


Wikis in second language learning

On a macro level, second language learning involves practicing and mastering a communicative process. Much of that mastery is realized through the creation of many presentations - initially short but gradually getting longer as the student masters grammar and expands their vocabulary. A wiki can support that development through its ability to


1. record revisions at any stage of the writing proces
2. invite students to work collaboratively at any or all stages of the writing process
3. support a variety of digital media that can be used to support a student's message
4. share the product of the writing process with a real and broad audience.


1) Revision / archiving

Students create writing presentations in a wiki much like they would in a word processor. However each editing of a wiki presentation is automatically saved as an iteration that can be viewed or even restored at a later time . As a result, that writing process is made much more transparent to a student then can be realized using conventional paper. Students can see the various iterations that led up to their final presentation to review the stages of their presentation's development. But these iterations can also be shared with friends, peers and instructors to invite their comment. As a result, a student can receive more frequent and potentially more meaningful feedback to reflect upon their work which can then be used to determine how to improve the effectiveness of their message. Thus students move closer to understanding the true focus of writing presentations - to ensure their message is clearly presented and its purpose clearly understood by an audience.

On a micro level, language development typically requires students to practice construction and discriminant selection of grammar, vocabulary and punctuation to learn how to clearly communicate in a foreign language. Wikis afford students the chance to review and build upon previous work. For example, beginners may be asked to construct simple sentences with the limited vocabulary that they have. As they learn more about new, more complex vocabulary, grammar or syntax structures, they can return to these simple sentences to add what they have learned to these earlier sentences to make them more complex.

Note how the same iterations recorded by the wiki can also help students to review what they have learned and identify where and how their learning took place. Thus for possibly the first time, we have the opportunity to help students develop the life long skill of learning not only a language but "how they learn" a language (Dealtry, 2004) .

2) Collaboration

This same writing process can also be done via small groups thus inviting still more learning opportunities. Here students can check their understanding of ideas by practicing and using new key words, grammar constructions and syntax with their peers, reflecting on their peers responses. Then students can collaborate with others in their group on the choice of these same language tools with the goal of finding the best way to communicate a desired message. Such a process moves students away from understanding language learning as memorizing and discriminating how to apply various vocabulary, grammar and formulaic writing patterns to communicate. Instead students come to understand language learning as a collaborative and communicative activity first. Communicating a clear message becomes their motivation to learn.

3) Inclusion of digital media

Thanks to social networking tools such as instant messaging, Facebook and YouTube, a significant part of today's student culture encourages the use and development of a number of digital communications skills - one of those skills is actually writing (Lenhart et al., 2008) . A wiki can invite students to include these same skills to support clear communication of their message. This brings into a formal learning environment, these student interests and skills. It also invites practice and discussion on integrating other communicative strategies such as the selection of fonts, graphics, sounds, photos and videos to support such messages. By doing so, students are not only more motivated but also learn the importance of aligning visual or aural messages with those communicated through their writing to again strengthen their message - a communicative approach that is highly relevant in today's society.

4) share their message with a real and broad audience.

Traditional presentation practice has been done by students for an audience of one - the teacher - or perhaps for a class of students but rarely further. With the help of a wiki, students can now review, reflect and refine their message to a point where they feel ready to present their work to a real and much broader audience. These audiences can now be in the target language, something that was much more difficult to realize before. These audiences could be more proficient second language students in the same school or native speakers in another part of the world. These same audiences can also be invited to engage in a dialogue with students on the message of their presentation. As a result, students learn through one of the most important forms of assessment - real feedback from a real audience on the effectiveness of their efforts to construct a purposeful and targeted message.


Typical obstacles to expect in realizing effective use of wikis

In order to be successful, second language teachers can typically expect to face the following technical and pedagogical challenges.To begin, teachers need to ensure that whatever wiki tool they choose, is easy to access and use. Students should not be faced with the need to draw away already limited time for language learning, to learn how to use the technology to realize their presentation. Teachers should note that the majority of wikis require users to apply wiki code to realize them. Fortunately some wiki utilities such as Wetpaint (Wetpaint) exist that make the need for knowing even this simple code unnecessary.

Teachers should also understand and support the principles of constructivist instruction to realize effective student collaboration. This entails realizing a clear alignment of group based, collaborative activities with sound language learning objectives and their assessment. Note also the importance of a clear rubric to outline how students will be assessed. The absence of a traditional linear sequenced activity structure may be daunting for some students not accustomed to the more open structure of group collaboration.. thus the importance of a clear rubric to outline to students what is required, and within what limitations. This almost always entails providing students with time and resource parameters, and inviting students to take time to understand and assess who their intended audience is.

The absence of conventional traditional teacher filtering of online content can also seem foreboding. The responsibility for control of content selection shifts to the student. Teachers can invite students to engage in this filtering information literacy exercise so that they learn to judge and take control of it themselves. While this can seem a daunting responsibility for students to assume, often students learn to take on the responsibility for filtering not because of the teacher's need for it but because of their intended audience's need for it.


Important follow up resources and examples

alwaygolf (2007) ‘Teaching with WIKI’, YouTube, [online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=mdOKUeT0O-o (Accessed 15 January 2009).

Dealtry, Richard (2004) ‘Emerald: Professional Practice - The savvy learner’, Journal of Workplace Learning, 16(1/2), pp. 101-109, [online] Available from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/0860160110.pdf (Accessed 3 December 2008).

Department of Education and Training - Western Australia ‘Wikis in the Classroom’, [online] Available from: http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/wikis/ (Accessed 13 November 2008).

Ferris, S.P. and Wilder, Hilary (2006) ‘Uses and Potentials of Wikis in the Classroom’, Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 2(5), [online] Available from: http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=258&action=article (Accessed 7 January 2009).

Fryer, Wes ‘Teach Digital: Curriculum by Wes Fryer wiki / wikis’, Teach Digital" Curriculum by Wes Fryer | wikis, wiki, [online] Available from: http://teachdigital.pbwiki.com/wikis (Accessed 13 January 2009).

Lamb, Brian (2004) ‘Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not ’, EDUCAUSE Review, 39(5), pp. 36-48, [online] Available from: http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/WideOpenSpacesWikisReadyo/40498 (Accessed 7 January 2009).

Lenhart, Amanda, Arafeh, Sousan, Smith, Aaron and Rankin Macgill, Alexandra (2008) Writing, Technology and Teens, Reports: Family, Friends & Community, US, [online] Available from: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Writing_Report_FINAL3.pdf (Accessed 15 January 2009).

Lefever, Lee (2007) ‘Video: Wikis in Plain English’, Common Craft - Explanations In Plain English, [online] Available from: http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english (Accessed 13 November 2008).

Leuf, Bo and Cunningham, Ward ‘For Teachers New to Wikis’, [online] Available from: http://writingwiki.org/default.aspx/WritingWiki/For%20Teachers%20New%20to%20Wikis.html (Accessed 13 November 2008).

Patterson, Reginald (n.d.) ‘Using Wiki - the Right Way - a knol by Reginald Patterson’, [online] Available from: http://knol.google.com/k/reginald-patterson/using-wiki-the-right-way/t7omkuodtii0/4# (Accessed 11 January 2009).

Peachey, Nik (2008) ‘Learning technology teacher development blog: Using wikis with EFL students’, [online] Available from: http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/2008/05/using-wikis-with-efl-students.html (Accessed 13 November 2008).

Wetpaint ‘Group Project Wikis - Wikis in Education’, Wikis in Education, wiki, [online] Available from: http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Group+Project+Wikis (Accessed 10 January 2009).

Wetpaint ‘Higher-Ed Wikis - Wikis in Education’, Wikis in Education, wiki, [online] Available from: http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Higher-Ed+Wikis (Accessed 10 January 2009).

Wetpaint ‘Student Created Wikis ’, Wikis in Education, [online] Available from: http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Student+Created+Wikis (Accessed 10 January 2009).

Wetpaint ‘Wikis in Education ’, Wikis in Education, wiki, [online] Available from: http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/ (Accessed 10 January 2009).

Wetpaint ‘Wikis in the Classroom ’, Wikis in Education, wiki, [online] Available from: http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Wikis+in+the+Classroom (Accessed 10 January 2009).

Activity 3.4 - choosing an ePortfolio system

Recall as part of the University's mission, that our student's expect to graduate as bilingual, it literate, global citizens and leaders. The eportfolio concept offers our undergraduates a number of opportunites to evidence their development in these core areas. As possible examples,

• language development via the collection of speaking and writing samples
• IT development via the production and assembly of evidence and in the design of the eportfolio to hold them
• global citizenship realized via the use of ICT tools to facilitate constructive dialogue with people from other cultures around the world
• leadership skill development via documentation of reflection on community based issues and their choice of actions

To support this we should expect to provide students with an eportfolio strategy that addresses the following four key points.

promoting reflection
Fundamental to any strategy's selection will be its ability to promote more than the collection of evidence but a reflection activity cycle (Richards) and host the lifelong and lifewide benefits that it brings (Moon, Richards). To realize this, students may need templates with guided focus questions that encourage them to inter relate concepts learned across their courses of study and to revist these themes throughout their undergrad studies.

flexibility vs structure
It should be flexibile enough to address changing student needs, levels of competency and choice. Undergraduates collecting evidence for the first time may require the highly structured environment as noted above(Stefani, 2005). Yet as students progress, they may wish to customize or even opt out of this structured environment to use the eportfolio strategy to meet other needs as they prepare to move on from their undergrad studies (Jafari).

Ease of Use
During their stay, students may differ widely in their interest in IT skills development. Note they may also need to communicate in both Arabic (L1) and English (L2) . Thus to support the portfolio strategy's development, it needs to facilitate the use of IT at these varying levels of interest and it must do so in two languages (Jafari) Thus the chosen eportfolio strategy needs to be easy enough to master and realizable in such a manner that it does not draw the student away from its prime purpose - to support documentation of evidence and to facilitate reflection.

collaboration
Per work by Vuorikari and Batson, the eportfolio strategy should facilitate interaction and sharing of knowledge with ones peers, advisors and instructors. To do so provides students with both immediate support and learning opportunites via the exchanges with peers. These have also been found to encourage the much sought after higher order learning, thinking and knowledge construction (Richards).

The current review of "off the shelf" eportfolio products leads me to conclude that few come close to addressing the mix of needs listed above. Many provide forms of structure but without much room for student customization at later stages of development (i.e. graduation). Little or no mention is also made of their ability to support the use of languages other than English.

In lieu of these shortcomings, I recommend investigating the use of the growing prevelance of web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis and aggregators. All such utilities are readily available and often for free. Some like blogs inherently support reflection, others like wikis support easy editing, high degrees of customization and personalization. Yet can be readily supported via the use of the same strategies noted above. Via the use of aggregators, mashups of these various tools and their contents are also possible (Batson, 2008) thus making them a much more attractive proposition.

Sources

Batson, Trent (2008) ‘ePortfolios: Hot Once Again’, Campus Technology, [online] Available from: http://campustechnology.com/articles/60933/ (Accessed 26 September 2008).

Jafari, Ali (2004) ‘The “Sticky” ePortfolio System: Tackling Challenges and Identifying Attribute’, Educause Review, [online] Available from: http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/TheStickyePortfolioSystem/40485?time=1222282897 (Accessed 24 September 2008).

Moon, Jenny (2001) ‘PDP working paper 4: reflection in higher education learning’, document, [online] Available from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id72_Reflection_in_Higher_Education_Learning.rtf (Accessed 2 October 2008).

Richards, Cameron (2005) ‘Activity-reflection e-portfolios: An approach to the problem of effectively integrating ICTs in teaching and learning’, Murdoch University - Teaching & Learning Forum 2005, [online] Available from: http://lsn.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf2005/refereed/richards.html (Accessed 5 October 2008).

Stefani, Lorraine (2005) ‘The Role of CPD in Teaching Quality Enhancement’, pdf, Auckland, New Zealand , [online] Available from: http://64.233.183.104/u/LearningTechnology?q=cache:YRY_ajTIbh0J:www.alt.ac.uk/docs/lorraine_stefani_paper.doc+Stefani&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&ie=UTF-8 (Accessed 30 September 2008).

Vuorikari , R. (2006) ‘‘National policies and case studies on the use of portfolios in teacher training' - European Schoolnet 2006’, [online] Available from: http://insight.eun.org/shared/data/insight/documents/e_portfolio_teacher_training_final_10_05.pdf (Accessed 28 September 2008).

Activity 9.2 - Synthesizing the educational use of blogs (group activity)

(copied from H808 wiki website - January 12, 2009)

This is the link to the final version of a synthesis of educational blog categories (in Google Docs) with contributions from Jim Buckingham, Julie Carle; José Martel Peñate; Emma Nugent; Nicola Robinson; Keely Laycock and Nigel Smellie.

We're sure it's not a final document and many of you can add to it, we started with approx 15 categories and through discussion and voting, Nigel was able to reduce this to 3 over-arching categories.

If anyone on H808 has any comments on our group work please post them here or to the H808 Cafe where we held our discussion.

For good measure a copy of this same FINAL TABLE is also posted to a further page in this wiki.

Activity 10.1 - Part 4 - Wikis in second language learning - Important follow up resources and examples

alwaygolf (2007) ‘Teaching with WIKI’, YouTube, [online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=mdOKUeT0O-o (Accessed 15 January 2009).

Dealtry, Richard (2004) ‘Emerald: Professional Practice - The savvy learner’, Journal of Workplace Learning, 16(1/2), pp. 101-109, [online] Available from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/0860160110.pdf (Accessed 3 December 2008).

Department of Education and Training - Western Australia ‘Wikis in the Classroom’, [online] Available from: http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/wikis/ (Accessed 13 November 2008).

Ferris, S.P. and Wilder, Hilary (2006) ‘Uses and Potentials of Wikis in the Classroom’, Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 2(5), [online] Available from: http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=258&action=article (Accessed 7 January 2009).

Fryer, Wes ‘Teach Digital: Curriculum by Wes Fryer wiki / wikis’, Teach Digital" Curriculum by Wes Fryer | wikis, wiki, [online] Available from: http://teachdigital.pbwiki.com/wikis (Accessed 13 January 2009).

Lamb, Brian (2004) ‘Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not ’, EDUCAUSE Review, 39(5), pp. 36-48, [online] Available from: http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/WideOpenSpacesWikisReadyo/40498 (Accessed 7 January 2009).

Lenhart, Amanda, Arafeh, Sousan, Smith, Aaron and Rankin Macgill, Alexandra (2008) Writing, Technology and Teens, Reports: Family, Friends & Community, US, [online] Available from: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Writing_Report_FINAL3.pdf (Accessed 15 January 2009).

Lefever, Lee (2007) ‘Video: Wikis in Plain English’, Common Craft - Explanations In Plain English, [online] Available from: http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english (Accessed 13 November 2008).

Leuf, Bo and Cunningham, Ward ‘For Teachers New to Wikis’, [online] Available from: http://writingwiki.org/default.aspx/WritingWiki/For%20Teachers%20New%20to%20Wikis.html (Accessed 13 November 2008).

Patterson, Reginald (n.d.) ‘Using Wiki - the Right Way - a knol by Reginald Patterson’, [online] Available from: http://knol.google.com/k/reginald-patterson/using-wiki-the-right-way/t7omkuodtii0/4# (Accessed 11 January 2009).

Peachey, Nik (2008) ‘Learning technology teacher development blog: Using wikis with EFL students’, [online] Available from: http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/2008/05/using-wikis-with-efl-students.html (Accessed 13 November 2008).

Wetpaint ‘Group Project Wikis - Wikis in Education’, Wikis in Education, wiki, [online] Available from: http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Group+Project+Wikis (Accessed 10 January 2009).

Wetpaint ‘Higher-Ed Wikis - Wikis in Education’, Wikis in Education, wiki, [online] Available from: http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Higher-Ed+Wikis (Accessed 10 January 2009).

Wetpaint ‘Student Created Wikis ’, Wikis in Education, [online] Available from: http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Student+Created+Wikis (Accessed 10 January 2009).

Wetpaint ‘Wikis in Education ’, Wikis in Education, wiki, [online] Available from: http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/ (Accessed 10 January 2009).

Wetpaint ‘Wikis in the Classroom ’, Wikis in Education, wiki, [online] Available from: http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Wikis+in+the+Classroom (Accessed 10 January 2009).

Activity 10.1 - Part 3 - Typical obstacles to expect in realizing effective use of wikis

In order to be successful, second language teachers can typically expect to face the following technical and pedagogical challenges.

To begin, teachers need to ensure that whatever wiki tool they choose, is easy to access and use. Students should not be faced with the need to draw away already limited time for language learning, to learn how to use the technology to realize their presentation. Teachers should note that the majority of wikis require users to apply wiki code to realize them. Fortunately some wiki utilities such as Wetpaint exist that make the need for knowing even this simple code unnecessary.

Teachers should also understand and support the principles of constructivist instruction to realize effective student collaboration. This entails realizing a clear alignment of group based, collaborative activities with sound language learning objectives and their assessment. Note also the importance of a clear rubric to outline how students will be assessed. The absence of a traditional linear sequenced activity structure may be daunting for some students not accustomed to the more open structure of group collaboration.. thus the importance of a clear rubric to outline to students what is required, and within what limitations. This almost always entails providing students with time and resource parameters, and inviting students to take time to understand and assess who their intended audience is.

The absence of conventional traditional teacher filtering of online content can also seem foreboding. The responsibility for control of content selection shifts to the student. Teachers can invite students to engage in this filtering information literacy exercise so that they learn to judge and take control of it themselves. While this can seem a daunting responsibility for students to assume, often students learn to take on the responsibility for filtering not because of the teacher's need for it but because of their intended audience's need for it.

Activity 10.1 - Part 2 - Wikis in Second Language Learning

Wikis in second language learning

On a macro level, second language learning involves practicing and mastering a communicative process. Much of that mastery is realized through the creation of many presentations - initially short but gradually getting longer as the student masters grammar and expands their vocabulary. A wiki can support that development through its ability to

• record revisions at any stage of the writing process
• invite students to work collaboratively at any or all stages of the writing process
• support a variety of digital media that can be used to support a student's message
• share the product of the writing process with a real and broad audience.

a) Revision / archiving

Students create writing presentations in a wiki much like they would in a word processor. However each editing of a wiki presentation is automatically saved as an iteration that can be viewed or even restored at a later time . As a result, that writing process is made much more transparent to a student then can be realized using conventional paper. Students can see the various iterations that led up to their final presentation to review the stages of their presentation's development. But these iterations can also be shared with friends, peers and instructors to invite their comment. As a result, a student can receive more frequent and potentially more meaningful feedback to reflect upon their work which can then be used to determine how to improve the effectiveness of their message. Thus students move closer to understanding the true focus of writing presentations - to ensure their message is clearly presented and its purpose clearly understood by an audience.

On a micro level, language development typically requires students to practice construction and discriminant selection of grammar, vocabulary and punctuation to learn how to clearly communicate in a foreign language. Wikis afford students the chance to review and build upon previous work. For example, beginners may be asked to construct simple sentences with the limited vocabulary that they have. As they learn more about new, more complex vocabulary, grammar or syntax structures, they can return to these simple sentences to add what they have learned to these earlier sentences to make them more complex.

Note how the same iterations recorded by the wiki can also help students to review what they have learned and identify where and how their learning took place. Thus for possibly the first time, we have the opportunity to help students develop the life long skill of learning not only a language but "how they learn" a language (Dealtry, 2004).

b) Collaboration

This same writing process can also be done via small groups thus inviting still more learning opportunities. Here students can check their understanding of ideas by practicing and using new key words, grammar constructions and syntax with their peers, reflecting on their peers responses. Then students can collaborate with others in their group on the choice of these same language tools with the goal of finding the best way to communicate a desired message. Such a process moves students away from understanding language learning as memorizing and discriminating how to apply various vocabulary, grammar and formulaic writing patterns to communicate. Instead students come to understand language learning as a collaborative and communicative activity first. Communicating a clear message becomes their motivation to learn.

c) Inclusion of digital media

Thanks to social networking tools such as instant messaging, Facebook and YouTube, a significant part of today's student culture encourages the use and development of a number of digital communications skills - one of those skills is actually writing (Lenhart et al., 2008). A wiki can invite students to include these same skills to support clear communication of their message. This brings into a formal learning environment, these student interests and skills. It also invites practice and discussion on integrating other communicative strategies such as the selection of fonts, graphics, sounds, photos and videos to support such messages. By doing so, students are not only more motivated but also learn the importance of aligning visual or aural messages with those communicated through their writing to again strengthen their message - a communicative approach that is highly relevant in today's society.

(d) share their message with a real and broad audience.

Traditional presentation practice has been done by students for an audience of one - the teacher - or perhaps for a class of students but rarely further. With the help of a wiki, students can now review, reflect and refine their message to a point where they feel ready to present their work to a real and much broader audience. These audiences can now be in the target language, something that was much more difficult to realize before. These audiences could be more proficient second language students in the same school or native speakers in another part of the world. These same audiences can also be invited to engage in a dialogue with students on the message of their presentation. As a result, students learn through one of the most important forms of assessment - real feedback from a real audience on the effectiveness of their efforts to construct a purposeful and targeted message.

Activity 10.1 - Part 1 - Wikis and second language learning: What's all the fuss?

Wikis and second language learning: What's all the fuss?

There is currently a lot of interest in wikis for educational purposes. What is a wiki? Is this interest valid? What is all the excitement about? A review of current literature suggests the following general reasons for this interest and its relevance to students.

A wiki is essentially a website that

• is easy to create, easy to author, easy to use (like an online virtual word processor) .. thus students of almost any age can help build
• supports dynamic content; this can come in many different digital forms (not just text but pictures, slide shows, audio and video as well) all of which can be added, arranged, edited, reviewed and commented upon by some, any, or all students ..
• promotes reflection, review and revision of one's work; ..individual students can find, filter and assemble digital content that reflects their interest, and understanding of a class assignment .. and review, revise it if their ideas or understanding of concepts change as a result of interactions with their peers
• promotes collaboration with peers .. thus students can not only share their own understanding of a project but review the work of their peers to then learn from one another, negotiate understanding, collectively construct meaning and then work as a group to collate this work and then present it as a finished group presentation
• promotes tracking of development .. students can view a history of the wiki's revisions to track what revisions were made, when and by whom .. to make comparisons between iterations .. and track their development / learning
• is free and accessibile 24/7 .. thus students can work individually or as groups at home or at college
• can be made available to a real audience .. thus students can opt to present their finished presentations so that they can be shared with a real audience whether that be the class, the school, the region, the world AND invite that audience's reviews and comments

(video)


A TV like commercial for why an educator might want to use a wiki. (alwaygolf, 2007)
Duration - 1:12 min

Sources

alwaygolf (2007) ‘Teaching with WIKI’, YouTube, [online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=mdOKUeT0O-o (Accessed 15 January 2009).

Activity 9.1. - Desktop research - blogging in education (report)

Sources

Buckingham, Jim ‘H808 - My notes’, blog, [online] Available from: http://buckinsand.blogspot.com/ (Accessed 5 January 2009).

Chandler, Jeff (2008) ‘WordPress Forum User Guide ’, Weblog Tools Collection, blog, [online] Available from: http://weblogtoolscollection.com/archives/2008/12/24/wordpress-forum-user-guide/ (Accessed 5 January 2009).

Crawford, Justin ‘The Campus Press Blogs ’, Educause Learning Initiative, [online] Available from: http://www.educause.edu/ELI/ELIDiscoveryToolGuidetoBloggin/TheCampusPressBlogs/13563 (Accessed 5 January 2009).

Educause (n.d.) ‘What Faculty Want to Know ’, Educause Learning Initiative, [online] Available from: http://www.educause.edu/ELI/ELIDiscoveryToolGuidetoBloggin/WhatFacultyWanttoKnow/13566 (Accessed 5 January 2009).

GeoBlogs ‘Google Earth Users Guide Project’, blog, [online] Available from: http://googlearthusersguide.blogspot.com/ (Accessed 5 January 2009).

Peachey, Nik ‘Nik's Learning Technology Blog’, blog, [online] Available from: http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/ (Accessed 5 January 2009).

Stevens, Vance ‘adVancEducation’, blog, [online] Available from: http://advanceducation.blogspot.com/ (Accessed 5 January 2009).

Various ‘UMW Blogs’, blog, [online] Available from: http://umwblogs.org/ (Accessed 1 January 2009).

Various ‘Zotero: The Next-Generation Research Tool’, blog, [online] Available from: http://www.zotero.org/blog/ (Accessed 5 January 2009).

Weller, Martin (2008) ‘Blogging isn't about fame’, The Ed Techie, [online] Available from: http://nogoodreason.typepad.co.uk/no_good_reason/2008/12/blogging-isnt-about-fame.html (Accessed 5 January 2009).

Categories are

1. subject domain / topic
2. professional reflections
3. personal reflections
4. student reflections
5. community building / sharing
6. utility - how to do

For each category, I provide

• a short description
• an example or two to help illustrate it
• comment on some of the main issues that arise from using blogs in this way

subject domain / topic

These are blogs that choose to focus on a specific subject domain in education or educational topic. There were many examples to choose from - mathematics, economics as well as English composition or literature. Most notable for me were these two and their work in promoting the critical use of technology in EFL instruction.

Nik Peachey's "Nik's Learning Technology Blog" and Vance Steven's ‘adVancEducation’, blog, both examine educational technology issues that they have personally encountered in their work context as EFL instructors in differing parts of the world. Peachey (Morocco) examines readily available specific technologies or web based tools and examines how how they might be used by educators. He also offers step by step guidelines on how to realize them. Notably absent? Comments from readers. Peachey's work tends to be more "how to" focussed.

Stevens (UAE) tends to place research work that was done to support various conference presentations, on his blog for broader review from readers. However, he also includes interesting annecdotal and reflective review of his experiences or encounters at these same conferences. Steven's work tends to examine an assortment of issues related to exploring the use of a given technology.

professional reflections

Here a professional uses their blog as a place to put out a plea for review, inviting open dialogue from a community of similar professionals to have their ideas tested and challenged.

Martin Weller's ‘Blogging isn't about fame’, demonstrates this sort of dialogue or engagement with a broader audience who take him to task on his earlier pronouncement on the value of technocrati ratings. He uses this post to clarify what he meant .. such ratings act as a "very rough proxy" of how well one is communicating one's ideas.

Stevens, Vance ‘adVancEducation’, blog, also invites the same. However, because the typical blog entry is fairly short (and typically needs to be to invite readership).. it appears to be somewhat problematic when attempting to discuss or present very detailed or complex issues

personal reflections

Finding these is problematic because they are often hidden from view. However, I know they exist because I and many of my colleagues have asked students to create them. I suspect that these make up the bulk of the many millions of blogs spoken of in literature on blogging. Here students can practice free writing, journalling and sharing their ideas with a select group of trusted friends or even instructors. Are they educational? They have the potential to be .. even if they invite personal reflection from the writer and are done outside of a structured formal education setting.

student reflections

Very similar to personal reflections however these tend to be more project or goal based. For example, all of the blogs for H808 are in most cases compiled based on the various activities assigned in the course. These tend to be more academic based reflections.

My own H808 - notes blog is but one example of this.

A few issues raised here? Educause writers note that some critiques argue instructors may be robbing the exercise of pleasure and purpose the moment they are made compulsory. Others express concerns about protecting student privacy , how to assess such developmental work, and where to host such services to protect students still in development.

community building / sharing

Blogs or often an aggregation of blogs and their ability to provide constantly dynamic content can be used as a form of community building or informing tool in an educational setting. More and more examples of this are emerging in college or university contexts and often employing communications students.

A blog set up by the University of Mary Washington is actually a collection of blogs made by various communities found within the broader university community. Justin Crawford's own reflective piece on the origins of just such a blog press and the unexpected problems it encountered are mentioned in yet another article.

utility - how to do

Many online user manuals that have been drawn up to support web based utilities, are blogs. This is especially useful when a product is either still evolving or experiencing "bugs". Updates can be noted and made immediately available to users via RSS feeds. The new users can also comment on these updates thus realizing feedback for program developers to help improve their product. In other words, the blog becomes a user manual that has been tried, tested and written by users.

Zotero is an open source product that used a blog to announce updates, solicit reviews of those updates, etc.

Another borderline example is the "Google Earth Users Guide Project". It borders on being a Geography related (topic based) blog but provides readers with ideas and instructions on ways in which Google Earth can be used in education.

Still another is Chandler, Jeff Chandler's work on a ‘WordPress Forum User Guide ’, and the reaction from end users to it.

Activity 8.1 - my log on producing a Podcast

software involved

• Audacity (audio editing)
• WinFF (file conversion)
• Juice (Podcast - feed subscription)
• Switchpod (Podcast - file host)
• Google System Blogspot (Code for embedding MP3 players into Blog post)
  

hardware involved

• Olympus DS30 digital recorder

Background

I've worked with Audacity a few times but nothing beyond a quick recording to share with students. As for podcasts, I love listening to them when I'm running on the treadmill or going for a walk on the Corniche but don't see them as useful for much else. I never saw much point in creating them on the belief that unless the emotive qualities of my message or that of others was as important to communicate as the content of the message.. then I could just as easily live without them. This exercise (to produce a podcast) invited a review of that.

Recording

Interesting to think about how to prepare (questions, digital recorder) and then find a stage for my selected "sages" to speak .. then approaching them in a non threatening way to encourage a positive response to my invitation. I was surprised to see the level of support and equally strong responses to the questions. I also recall a sense of excitement about not knowing exactly what to expect..

Converting

Once done with the recording, I discovered a number of obstacles. I was already familiar with the basic operation of Audacity so that was easy. However, I was less familar with the digital recorder that I am using. I was already confronted by one seemingly major issue .. the need to convert wma (the ONLY setting on the recorder) to wav or mp3 files. This meant hunting down a solution .. an wma to wav converter. In the end I selected WinFF because it was free, and looked dead easy to use.

Once converted from wma to wav.. I discovered that it didn't end there.. I then had to open again each file into Audacity for editing. A very time consuming task .. if I wanted to produce something that I felt was worth the time to listen to .

Editing sound files

A new set of challenges with editing. This meant sorting out problems with sampling rates, creating tracks, adding fade ins and fade outs and editing sections. A couple of hang ups of the software stressed to me the importance of frequent saving of files as Audacity projects so that previous editing work would not be lost if tech problems emerged.

I noted how putting together a presentation and making it coherent felt a lot like editing an essay. I likened it to cut and paste in a word processor .. yet with sound bites.

Then the whole thing needed to be saved with consideration given to both the file's size and format. I chose MP3 because its pretty much the norm these days. I also adjusted the sampling rate to 22050 mono because this would reduce the file size to speed up the download for others and yet still provide enough fidelity to be clear and easy to listen to.

Broadcasting

This proved remarkably easy to realize. As per Martin Weller's excellent instructions (compliments of H808) .. I began by registering on Switchpod, I then followed the "Creating your podcast" steps... five in all but only 3 were absolutely necessary.
In the end Switchpod provided both a link directly to the MP3 file
and a feed link for subscription to the podcast (in the event I might want to repeat the whole thing again).
http://www.switchpod.com/users/buck_in_sand/feed.xml
http://www.switchpod.com/p22376.html

However, when attempting to carry out an uploading of the podcast to the Open University podcast wiki page, I confronted the issue of just where to put it - H808 wiki podcast page (to which I appeared to be the first customer) and the Tutor Group Wiki (which seemed to be a collection point for a slew of podcasts). In the end, I attempted to post it in both places... I had success in one site .. but not in the other and for reasons that are still not clear to me I had problems with embedding the podcast into the wiki.

Embedding player into Blog

This proved interesting to sort out. No widget (as of yet) supported in Blogger but an assortment of embedded audio players are out there to use for free. I used Odeo and the following code

Replace
[MP3 file address]

Template
<embed src= "http://www.odeo.com/flash/audio_player_standard_black.swf" quality="high" width="300" height="52" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars= "valid_sample_rate=true&external_url=[MP3 file address]" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>

Reflections - Activity 6.3 - what does a learning technologist do?

Sources

Lisewski, Bernard and Joyce, Paul (n.d.) ‘Examining the five-stage e-moderating model:
Designed and emergent practice in the learning technology profession’, [online] Available from: http://learn.open.ac.uk/mod/resourcepage/view.php?id=90970&direct=1 (Accessed 24 November 2008).

Oliver, Martin (2002) ‘What do Learning Technologists do?’, Innovations in Education and Teaching International , 30(4), pp. 245-252.

What do learning technologists do?
I've only been assuming this postion for a few months now and I can really relate to both the Oliver and Lisewski articles.

Yes... I see a big part of my job as a Education Technology Specialist (i.e. Learning Technologist) is having a certain amount of autonomy in how I interact with "clients", yet little if any authority to direct change, instead its a matter of presenting experiences, ideas and suggestions (expertise) to "guide" a "client" to another way to realize their instructional objectives. They typically seek me out formally (via email requesting an appointment) or informally (over lunch or a chat in the hall). Yet critical to it is fostering a non threatening relationship with potential "clients" so that they feel comfortable about discussing such things. It sounds curiously similar to a relationship that you might find between a patient and a therapist, where there's a need for "confidentiality", and the building of "trust" or building a non threatening, safe environment for open dialogue because in many cases, the potential client feels insecure about raising the issue. They often apologetically present themseleves as unfamiliar with something, feeling vulnerable in doing so, so that they realize they need to learn more, that they are depending on me for guidance.. yet ultimately the final decision on "if" they will move forward rests with them.

Curiously enough, I've never seen such a "soft skill" presented in any LT job description. While the expertise, experience and rhetorical discourse are important, I've discovered just how critical nurturing this sort of relationship is to realizing the next step - being "invited" to enter into such a dialogue and then present one's expertise or opinions to help inform opinion. Thus the point made about "investing considerable time in building goodwill and strong collaborations across the institution" (Oliver p 249)

I'm equally curious about how many others in the cohort share this observation.

I also see a strong need to be challenging things ... even those presented by my colleagues in the department. They have been tempting me to use "off the shelf" solutions (with best of intentions I might add) .. yet I've resisted on the very grounds mentioned by Lisewski - the need for them to be challenged as to their relevance to our context. At issue here, is the use of screen cams from Atomic Learning and my insistence on the need to use self authored screen cams using Jing. This on the grounds that Jing produced resources are easy to produce, easier to access and invite greater familiarity and thus more built in support for our end users - namely faculty. Atomic Learning videos are more difficult to get to (require password and then navigation to a set example), and are not context specific .. thus requiring the "target learner" to build the relevance and context themselves .... to understand the purpose of the support resource.

Activity 2.1 - applications of eportfolios

http://buckinsand.blogspot.com/2008/10/activity-21-applications-of-eportfolios_02.html

Key readings chosen
Batson, T. (2002) The electronic portfolio boom ..
Batson, T. (2008) ePortfolios: Hot Once Again (not listed)
Jafari, A. (2004) The sticky eportfolio system
Steffani, L. (2005) PDP/CPD and eportfolios: rising to the challenge
Vuorikari, R. (2006) National policies and case studies

Discussion points from
Molley 2, Janet (26, Sep, 2008) re(6): eportfolios and community education) - discussion board
Cheer, Peter C (25, Sep, 2008) Re(4): eportfolios and community education
Nkuyubwatsi, Bernard (27, Sep, 2008) - Re(5): eportfolios and community education,


General topics that emerged from all of the readings
1) advantages of eportfolios are many and the notion is not likely to disappear
2) yet there are significant challenges that need to be addressed if the benefits ascribed to using eportfolios are to be realized

There is consensus amongst the writers that eportfolios are not a passing fancy. Batson argues that they are here to stay because they naturally capitalize on the growing number of students with IT competencies (Batson, 2002) and their growing ability to produce digital work. Jafari (2004) outlines how its benefits are extended to other stakeholders besides students and in ways that were not thought of as possible before. Examples include facilitating career development (soft skill and aptitude review), accreditation (program review) and tenure. A key point is that eportfolios are likely to stay, not because of their technological advantages but because of their pedagogical advantages (Martin).

Eportfolios provide many new opportunities. Batson notes for students, the ability to visualize their learning development or to provide evidence of their actual work to support a transcript. This reflective process and the skills associated with it personalize learning for students, promote a culture of lifelong learning and according to both Vuorikari and Steffani, come to be enthusiastically supported by students "once they understand reflective learning".

Teachers note how eportfolios promote deeper learning from their students. Students can demonstrate their understanding of theory not just with individual assignments but with their practice over time. Such a combination invites new forms of "real assessment" (Vuorikari) based upon reflection on and discussion of what has been learned. Students can share their findings with fellow students to test and construct meaning. Students can also review where they are in a selected learning program and plan accordingly (Janet Molley) thus inviting more personalization of learning programs. As Batson notes (2008) the eportfolio in effect becomes a virtual "learning environment" available almost anytime and anywhere by the increasingly ubiquitous nature of the internet.

However, all four readings also noted the challenges that need to be overcome if these opportunities are to be fully realized. Vuorikari notes the need for eportfolios to be used in a meaningful and purposeful way when made part of the learning process (Vuorikari p. 13). Benefits need to be clearly modeled to students to promote their buyin (Jafari) and to promote their use of reflective practices (Stefani). Standardization of design may also be needed to improve ease of use and interoperability (Jafari) but it needs to be done in balance with promoting flexibility otherwise it risks undermine the reflective aspect (Vuorikari) . Training to realize these benefits also extends beyond just students and faculty. Vuorikari notes how parents too need to be trained to understand how to support eportfolio practice. Stefani's stresses the need for evidence of "action" (after reflection) that supports one's claim to pdp or cpd. In other words, she argues assessment of an eportfolio becomes an important requisite in either case. However teachers have identified that assessment often risked becoming more summative and thus marginalized formative assessment and the skills associated with promoting lifelong learning (Jafari). As Bernard poignantly noted, this same desire to support life long learning through the use of eportfolios requires that the process become habit forming for students. Thus the design, implementation and integration of eportfolios can not be deemed to be a simple task.

Activity 2.1 - Applications of eportfolios

Key readings chosen
Batson, T. (2002) The electronic portfolio boom..
Batson, T. (2008) ePortfolios: Hot Once Again (not listed)
Jafari, A. (2004) The sticky eportfolio system
Steffani, L. (2005) PDP/CPD and eportfolios: rising to the challenge
Vuorikari, R. (2006) National policies and case studies

Discussion points from
Molley 2, Janet (26, Sep, 2008) re(6): eportfolios and community education) - discussion board
Cheer, Peter C (25, Sep, 2008) Re(4): eportfolios and community education
Nkuyubwatsi, Bernard (27, Sep, 2008) - Re(5): eportfolios and community education,


General topics that emerged from all of the readings
1) advantages of eportfolios are many and the notion is not likely to disappear
2) yet there are significant challenges that need to be addressed if the benefits ascribed to using eportfolios are to be realized

There is consensus amongst the writers that eportfolios are not a passing fancy. Batson argues that they are here to stay because they naturally capitalize on the growing number of students with IT competencies (Batson, 2002) and their growing ability to produce digital work. Jafari (2004) outlines how its benefits are extended to other stakeholders besides students and in ways that were not thought of as possible before. Examples include facilitating career development (soft skill and aptitude review), accreditation (program review) and tenure. A key point is that eportfolios are likely to stay, not because of their technological advantages but because of their pedagogical advantages (Cheer).

Eportfolios provide many new opportunities. Batson notes for students, the ability to visualize their learning development or to provide evidence of their actual work to support a transcript. This reflective process and the skills associated with it personalize learning for students, promote a culture of lifelong learning and according to both Vuorikari and Steffani, come to be enthusiastically supported by students "once they understand reflective learning".

Teachers note how eportfolios promote deeper learning from their students. Students can demonstrate their understanding of theory not just with individual assignments but with their practice over time. Such a combination invites new forms of "real assessment" (Vuorikari) based upon reflection on and discussion of what has been learned. Students can share their findings with fellow students to test and construct meaning. Students can also review where they are in a selected learning program and plan accordingly (Janet Molley) thus inviting more personalization of learning programs. As Batson notes (2008) the eportfolio in effect becomes a virtual "learning environment" available almost anytime and anywhere by the increasingly ubiquitous nature of the internet.

However, all four readings also noted the challenges that need to be overcome if these opportunities are to be fully realized. Vuorikari notes the need for eportfolios to be used in a meaningful and purposeful way when made part of the learning process (Vuorikari p. 13). Benefits need to be clearly modeled to students to promote their buyin (Jafari) and to promote their use of reflective practices (Stefani). Standardization of design may also be needed to improve ease of use and interoperability (Jafari) but it needs to be done in balance with promoting flexibility otherwise it risks undermine the reflective aspect (Vuorikari) . Training to realize these benefits also extends beyond just students and faculty. Vuorikari notes how parents too need to be trained to understand how to support eportfolio practice. Stefani's stresses the need for evidence of "action" (after reflection) that supports one's claim to pdp or cpd. In other words, she argues assessment of an eportfolio becomes an important requisite in either case. However teachers have identified that assessment often risked becoming more summative and thus marginalized formative assessment and the skills associated with promoting lifelong learning (Jafari). As Bernard poignantly noted, this same desire to support life long learning through the use of eportfolios requires that the process become habit forming for students. Thus the design, implementation and integration of eportfolios can not be deemed to be a simple task.

Activity 1.5 - Using ePortfolios

In general terms, an eportfolio is not simply a folio .. or collection of documents. The folio only becomes a portfolio when there is some sort of review process and follow up done with the evidence collected. It typically involves someone carrying out a process of "reviewing" the evidence (often referred to as reflection) to realize a "revelation, discovery or validation", and to use this to then personally "plan where and how to move forward".

This fundamental review process is applied in a variety of situations.

In academics, eportfolios are set up to be used by students of almost any age. Here they are invited to identify not just what they have learned but to reflect on their choice of strategies used to learn with. Their identification of these learning processes enables them to arrive at a better understanding of their learning methods or style. This in turn, empowers them to capitalize on their learning strengths and to target those learning weaknesses for improvement in the future. In effect, the student takes more ownership of the assessment of their academic strengths and needs - and can formulate a personal plan of action based on them to move forward. Over time, this iterative process also helps them realize the importance of understanding learning as a process of personal development or learning as a life time pursuit. This is supported by institutions on the belief that it empowers students to eventually become full fledged citizens up to the demands of living in an ever changing knowledge based economy.

In labour, eportfolios are used by employees to identify and demonstrate to employers or potential employers what they have learned or are developing in the way of competencies. They can also include comparable development achieved through "informal learning or (on the job experience) to demonstrate specializations, interests, or efforts to stay current. They can review the breadth of their experience and knowledge base to then reflect on how far they have grown, By doing so, an employee can personally plot more careful and meaningful choices in training or career development. Also, because of the depth of the evidence and articulation by an employee, they can potentially be more confidently hired and / or sponsored by their employers.

In government, policies promoting the use of eportfolios may be used as a strategy to circumvent policy "shortcomings" such as accreditation bottle necks. Here the invitation to use an eportfolio by skilled immigrants seeks to attract them to present and have recognized or accredited their skills and competencies from otherwise unrecognized foreign institutions. Such a strategy aims to recognize the importance of maximizing a country's to attract foreign human capital to create wealth in the 21st century.

However eportfolios have yet to become mainstream everywhere due to the a number of limitations. Two majors one are the need for a major paradigm shift at almost all levels of education in how not just formal but now informal learning is to be recognized, assessed and accredited . Equally important is allocating the resources that will be needed to train both educators and learners on how to develop eportfolios that are easy to produce, flexible in their design but still purposeful to use.