This summer I created a Telecollaborative Design project called "Our Global Connections". In this project, a website is created where classes can log in and participate in creating an informational database about themselves, including age, where they live, languages spoken/known, how many members in their families, and other facts. The purpose of this project was to make students aware of their similarities across the globe rather than being upset by their differences.
Since editing would not be possible on this website, I would use a wiki to improve this project. This would avoid users having to email me information or go through a website registration with information, as well as eliminate the delay in updating the website. With the wiki, students could also individually access the page and update on their own. The only possible downfall I can see to this is if students change other submissions, but I am hoping there will be teacher supervision to avoid this. In my opinion, the benefits outweigh the costs, particularly with how much quicker the data will be updated!
The wiki can really help to turn information giving sites into information sharing sites. There is always the risk of students deleting or being malicious with other students work, but the wiki tools help to protect against abuse by showing all edits made. My biggest concern with open tools like this are the ease in which the "bad apples" can mess everything up. If I was using wiki tools with students in middle school and up I would search for a tool that required all posts to be approved. Where as content can be corrected if changed, students could also post offensive or explicit content in the tool. The damaging effect that could have would be far reaching.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about the wiki improving your original project. I found the same of mine, as well. That's not to say the website isn't a good idea for some things, but I think the telecollaborative projects most of us did would be easier to set up and administer than what we originally proposed during the summer session.
ReplyDeleteI said that I would change mine into a wiki, also! I think for these projects it seems like the most logical choice since most of them are global and this is the easiest way to allow everyone who wants to, to participate. The projects are all about collaboration and a wiki, as we found out this semester, is a great resource for that!
ReplyDeleteI believe the best tool for allowing students to work together would be a wiki. I also modified my project to have the create fairy tales together using a wiki. I've found many lessons that make collaboration easier when wikis are used. Great choice to change your project and use this tool.
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