Saturday, August 1, 2009

WIKIs

My journey so far has been rewarding and as a 'Digital Immigrant' (Prensky, 2001) I continue to surprise myself with the new skills that I am acquiring. These skills are vital for my future as a Learning Manager in the 21st century and with such rapid changes in technology the notion of lifelong learning comes in to play.

A wiki is a website that allows users to add and edit content in a collaborative manner. It can be set up so that everyone has access to it or kept closed so that only members can make changes. When used within the classroom environment access should be limited to members only (students and teachers) to protect the safety and well being of learner's.

To create my wiki I used Wikispaces and by following the instructions found the process quite easy. I have decided to include some useful transitioning activities and quieting techniques that might benefit my colleagues who are placed in schools this term. While aimed mainly at the early years it may be helpful to others also.
My wiki can be found at http://nariswiki.wikispaces.com/

Unlike emails, wikis provide a one-stop-shop for members to interact and they allow easy coordination of content around a given topic. I believe that Learning Managers would find the use of wikis as a valuable tool to engage students in learning activities relating to the current unit of work. Through collaboration with peers a 'community of learners' (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999) is formed and student's are more likely to experience success and achieve the desired outcomes (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).

References
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 25, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

3 comments:

  1. Hi Nari,
    I just want to say that you are doing a fabulous job with your blog. The side bar is great with the motivation, dogs and music. You really know what you are doing. I recently brought a Where the Wild Things Are shirt - it is the best picture book ever!

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  2. Hi Nari,

    Your Wiki is looking great. I am hoping that we can encourage others to make some additions to the resources we already have, so we can build up an awesome collection.

    Strategies such as these are so useful and i really feel they will benefit each and every one of us in the long run.

    Chat again soon,
    Kerri : )

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  3. Hi Leonie,
    Sorry that it's been so long, thanks for the kind words re my blog. I can assure you it has been a case of trial and error. I'm glad you're a fan of Where the Wild Things Are, it was a big part of my life growing up. Can't wait for the movie to come out! I'll have to go and check out your blog, I bet you're doing a great job too.
    Regards,
    Nari

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