The exercise of creating a wiki was easier than I expected. It is the reflection that is the hard part. I was able to add some text, upload pictures and even embed a video. Here is the link to my wiki on the wikispaces website. (Don't worry, we'er gonna spice it up a bit... with clips of jazz and other interesting performers soon to come!!) My own learning in this exercise has essentially been one of a connectivist learning experience. I used the links to wikispaces provided, read the instructions provided, and worked out that a 'Widget' includes videos, audios and other nifty little devices. each step in the process was a new connection to new knowledge and now I know how to set up a wiki.
As a learning tool for others I reckon that wikis have a great deal of promise. The next level of usage would be to open the membership of the wiki up to other contributors and see what happens. I do believe that students would have some fun doing so. But if an assignment covers a particular topic, the teacher integrating a wiki or even wiki creation into the assignment may really be able to achieve a high level of engagement from students with the topic. The assignment becomes a focused lens and the wiki a tool (eg. like a proverbial tripod perhaps ?). But the what of the role of the teacher? Well,...give the kids some space to learn!
The potential for students to use wikis to relate-create-donate (see concepts of engagement theory, as per my integrated e-learning framework) and actually learn something useful for themselves, as well as others, is very high in this modern techno-centric world . Yet, this is not teacher-centric learning, and presents an entirely new paradigm of mentoring. No matter however adjectives are sought to describe it, our role is to not coach every step of the learning journey. This means: an absence of teacher-centricity. But why not, but for the ultra wireless connectivity of this new technological mileux? In my opinion, this may categorically eliminate some pedagogies for some, though not others....so what?? I would hope I am heading towards a well-balanced mix of learning theories. Interestingly, a boss said to me one day, I will never use these theories again, ...no, I thought,...they will no longer be purely theoretical, but rather ...put into practice! (Who once said: we are all teachers?)
Clearly diversity, by definition means that we are obliged to ever broaden our thinking and sharpen our teaching 'tools'. Personally I do not have a preference for dismissing out-of-hand any of the learning theories. There could a number of theories applied in the same lesson. I do not reject any I have read of so far in the course, so I allowing myself to develop a natural filter for whatever makes my mind drop the pedagogical penny, so to speak. If a wiki will perform as one of my key teaching tools, ce la vie, but I have a strong sense of surety that we will be seeing more of this kind of comms in public domain and almost all of our social estates in the future anyway. So perhaps there is a certain degree of trepidation as to whether this is really an example of cutting edge, real-world comms we are trending/assimilating here...Or perhaps this is just another way around for being coerced and induced by labour market demands of telco or media corporations to feed social appetites...or to possibly capitalize on them... Don't mind me showing my Marxist tendencies now...
At this point I should say, the 'public vs. private internet domain' argument (freeware vs user pay) is a story for another entirely different thread of discourse, more suitable to a SOSE or some other humanties course, ironically. But this reminds me,...pedagogically,... a wiki has potency, as you can fire any subject content through it, even the hairy ones, such as debate on something like the 'Intellectual property of cyberspace?'. (After all, ... not only was SOSE a fantastic major for me. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my Geography major was studying political geography...)
Hang on, ...in hindsight, I have two important words: cognitive constructivism. The whole wiki exercise has been a true exercise in light of this learning theory. My own learning has been constructed from a clear recognition that we cannot have lecturers on speed dial, so a wiki building exercise is something we've had to think about ourselves. But also about the resources powerful software provides.
(I wouldn't have admit this aloud before but I am totally amazed by the computer revolution! So as a student down payment on my professional integrity, I will back any successful strategy to some extent, until it stops working in the teaching-moment!)
The possibilities of wikis for classes is endless, but in the modern war of differing social network platform corporations, my cognition (thinking) tells me that the most popular software platform to carry the majority of this social function will be a highly prized socio-economic status. (Media mogul anyone?) Who knows what will be the most chosen format of the future? It only matters is that your imagination is the limit!
As I write I can feel myself adopting, evolving new thoughts and even values...to me connectivist theoretical models of classroom structure are transparent. So I am heading in that middle way again, and seeking a balance of the best teaching ideas and theories of this course. When I didn't know a video was a widget I googled. (How many different things are Widgets anyways?)
Although always astonished,as an artist, I find it noteworthy when, as a society, the more we become physically wired (or wireless), the more culturally creative yet socially isolated we feel. Ever simply not checked yours Facebook lately?....It's soooo. liberating! Sick of feeling lonely? Me too! and I have hundreds of social contacts. Sometimes I think my cyber-loneliness feeds my news hungry conscience, so maybe thats what drive us all to 'tweet' (etc). So why not use wikis in modernization of teaching? At least it has the benefit of some focus or scaffolding, per se. It is after all, for the greater good!
But seriously, there really is a heck-of-a-lot of real-world learning opportunities and external customers in wikis. Perhaps contemporarily, the vocational interviews held at an early school age are not such a bad idea (?), as this drive to human survival may be just the engaging carrot young pupils innately need to chase in their learnings.
Hate to riff on it, but is there anybody out there?? I am creating here...so post me...someone? Anyone? (What do you think of my post/s? Feel free, as I can always delete you later! )
Now...next time we speak,....let me see... we shall have ourselves a website?
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