Building Engaging Learning Environments

Creating & Using Course Wikis

Presentation by Jason Rhode, Ph.D. | jrhode@niu.edu | www.niu.edu/~jrhode

Session Overview• Introduction to Wikis

– Overview of wiki features & benefits of use– Why wikis are used in higher education– Introduction to Google’s free wiki tool

• Experiences Using Wikis in Higher Education– Incorporating group wikis in f2f, blended, & online courses– Sample group project wiki with instructions for students – Sample activities designed for wikis

• What You Need to Know Before Getting Started– Free tools to choose from & where to find them– Tips for selecting the right wiki tool & designing wiki

activities for your class– Wiki issues & limitations

Wiki-Wiki Express

• Passenger bus service at Honolulu International Airport

• Until recently, most passengers took this bus service to travel between gates

Photo credit: http://flickr.com/photos/cogdog/19490596

What is a Wiki?

• Collaborative website where all participants have equal ability to make changes to content

• Key features:– Easy to use– History of contributions– Ability to revert to

previous versions

Photo credit: http://flickr.com/photos/teemow/29921948

First Wiki by Ward Cunningham

c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiWikiWeb

Page Content

Title

Menu with Links to Pages

of the Wiki

Create Edit

Wikipedia

7 Things You Should Know

educause.edu/ELI/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutWikis/156807

Why Wikis in Higher Education?

• Facilitate constructivist approaches to learning• Equal “voice” for all participants• Students retain access to constructed

knowledge after course ends• Can be public or private• Easy to use; no advanced programming skills

needed• View and contribute from any Internet

connection

Mobile Applications

sites.helenbarrett.net/portfolio/how-to

Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy

edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom’s+Digital+Taxonomy

Uses of Wikis

• E-portfolios• Group collaborations• Soliciting input from others• Presentations• …any collaborative content creation activity!

Google Sites

sites.google.com

Google Sites Overview

google.com/sites/help/intl/en/overview.html

Demo: Introduction to Google Sites

• Tour of several previous course wikis• Creating a course wiki in Google Sites• Initial configurations to customize• Adding students as contributors

Sample Education Wikis

• delicious.com/jrhode/wikis• edt6020fall09.pbworks.com• sites.google.com/site/edt6010fall09• hornlab.niu.edu• sites.google.com/site/drjasonrhode

Directory of Wiki Tools:• c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/wiki.html

Demo: Sample Course Wiki

sites.google.com/site/edtc6434winter2010teamxwiki

Tips for Teaching with Wikis

• Decide whether to use single wiki for class or multiples wikis (e.g. each group)

• Provide suggested organizational structure or create empty pages (recommended)

• Customize navigation for easy access (ie: links to pages)

• Create sub-pages within hierarchical structure

Tips for Designing Wiki Activities

• Specify clear purpose for use of wiki• Provide expectations & structure for

contributions• Allow time for students to become familiar

with the wiki tool (e.g. make contributions to individual page)

• Include instructions for use and/or links where students can find more information (e.g. screencast instructions)

Sample Screencast Tour

vimeo.com/8721747

STOLEN Principle

TimelyTimely

stolenprinciple.pbworks.com

Specific Overall Objective

Ownership

Localized Objective

Engagement Rules

Navigation

• Clear purpose• Grading strategy

• Define times for different stages of use• Define end point

• Collaborative ownership

• Some structure of what is expected• Start points for editing; not a blank canvas

• Who can edit• Which parts can they edit

• Clear navigation structure• Simple navigation

• Acceptable & unacceptable use

Sample Group Project Using Wikis

sites.google.com/site/edtc6434winter2010teamxwiki/project-instructions

More Activity Ideas for Wikis

• Brainstorming of ideas• Outlining text materials• Drafting weekly summaries of instructional

content• Collecting bibliography of supplemental

resources• Creating interactive glossary of key terms• …the list goes on, limited only by your

imagination!

Free Wiki Tools

• Google Sites – sites.google.com• Intodit – intodit.com• PBworks – pbworks.com• springnote – springnote.com• Wikispaces – wikispaces.com

Directory of Wiki Tools:• c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/wiki.html

Selecting the Right Wiki Tool

• Does your institution already offer and/or support a wiki tool?

• Is free hosting available?• Is a “WYSIWYG” (What You See Is What You

Get) editor built into the wiki?• Is special “wiki markup” needed for advanced

editing?• How long will the wiki be available to

students?

Selecting the Right Wiki Tool – cont.

• Can pages be made either public or private?• Can other files be uploaded & stored with wiki

pages?• Can other media elements be embedded in

wiki pages? (e.g. videos, spreadsheets, calendars, etc.)

• How well does the wiki tool integrate with other online services?

• How stable is the wiki hosting provider?

Wiki Issues & Limitations

• Authorization of users (ie: Users must have a login to the wiki tool)

• Monitoring for inappropriate use • Risks to allowing manipulation of site data• Structuring initial content & pages can be a

challenge• How one accesses information, navigates,

creates links, etc. must be addressed early• Often represents collective perspective

Keep in Mind…

"When it comes to learning, technology doesn’t matter, but structure does."

- Eric Wignall

Questions & Answers

• What additional questions do you have?

Presenter Contact Info

Jason Rhodejrhode@niu.edu (email)twitter.com/jrhode (twitter)jasonrhode.com (blog)niu.edu/~jrhode (web)815.209.9783 (phone)facebook.com/jasonrhodephd (facebook)