Reflection on wiki

 

 

The participation in the wiki on the use of mobile phones within schools was first in many ways for me. I have not ever experienced working in a wiki and I must admit it was a little confronting to have my opinions and thoughts exposed in such a way. This is probably because I do like to work primarily on my own and don’t know how comfortable I am in “putting myself out there” on a global level.

But after being “exposed” I must admit it was quite insightful and enjoyable to see others ideas and opinions. I definitely felt a sense of connection which is needed when completing a course such as the GDTL through distance education.  The link that a wiki would provide worldwide could be a very valid and useful tool and is grounded in the connectivism theory.  The framework in which to work was exciting and the prospect of students being able to be connected on a global level is truly engaging! This forum I believe is mostly reflective of constructivism and connectivism theories.

Constructivism offers learning that is founded upon social interactions within a learning community or expert community, the wiki is indeed reflective of this theory of learning. We were able to pool, share and contribute ideas focused on a central question, that being on whether mobiles were a positive learning tool to be utilised within the classroom setting, and the many and varied answers enable us to examine and analyse our own assertions.  

However I found the layout and structure difficult to navigate and at times read.  It was hard in parts to make the connection between person and research/ arguments and after perusing others opinions/ responses and make a timely exchange. I suppose that the real exchange in a wiki would be rather to analyse a person’s research rather than to start an exchange of ideas in a set time frame.  I must acknowledge that for some it would be tiresome to return and access others involvement after participating in the wiki. The question of reliability of sources and indeed referencing is also an issue that would need to be explored. In the wiki there were varied mentions of sources and one such positive point to note was the inclusion of links, so that the reader was able to connect with others sources directly. But the ability to produce dodgy and unfounded research is a real issue that would face participants in the wiki.  Further exploration of knowledge was quite easy and it was refreshing to see research so openly shared.

I believe it would be a fantastic inclusion in classroom settings. Students would be able to come together and share information, research and opinions. These would then be able to be shared and critiqued by peers from around the world at any time. Student ownership is central and I believe that by creating such an environment the students’ attention to detail (source validity and reliability) and empathy for others would only seek to be enhanced. A limitation would be the repetitive nature opinions and thoughts are shared. I know myself I worked on the questions and formulated my answers then when going to the wiki to share the majority of my ideas, opinions were indeed reflected. This of course could also seek to motivate a student to uncover knowledge, research that was not yet explored. That is exciting!

References:

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