Lecture 11: Working with Wikis...

I managed to go straight into the Live Classroom this time with no problems, however, there were a few technical issues throughout the lecture which were dealt with in a calm and professional manner. As a future teacher I am aware that I will also face similar technical problems at times and realise that it is important to be able to think on your toes and be able to adapt the lesson accordingly.

The lecture started by explaining that Wiki sites are different to Web sites because they are designed to...

• Enable group work.
• Keep a history of what has been added and by whom.
• Undo changes that have been made by someone else.
• Notify the creator of the Wiki when changes are made to the Wiki, (may need to pay a subscription fee for this facility).

Just like Web sites there are a variety of Wiki sites to choose from. My group chose to use Google sites because it is free, (for a basic Wiki), and we already have Google accounts therefore a new password did not have to be created or remembered.

The next part of the lecture demonstrated how to create a Wiki. My group has already created our Wiki and we have individually added resources and links to the various pages that we were allocated to work on. However, before I started to work on the group Wiki I searched Google and found this great web site, "How to Create a Wiki without any Technical Know-How Using Google Sites," that gives a step by step guide on how to create a Wiki. I was surprised at the similarity between Google Web sites and Google Wikis which enabled me to navigate around the screens and add links, images and my screencast video with ease because I used Google Sites to create my Web site.

When I first read the section on Wikis from the text book for this unit, "Meaningful Learning with Technology," (Howland, Jonassen &Marra, 2012), and from using the school Wiki at Tranby College, (where I work as an Education Assistant), I remember thinking how complicated it must be to set up a Wiki site. But now I am feeling so excited because I have developed so many new technology skills that will enable me to produce a Wiki which will provide meaningful and authentic learning.

Reference:

Howland, J. L., Jonassen, D., & Marra, R. M . 2012. Meaningful Learning with Technology. 4th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.