using a wiki to promote collaboration and critical thinking

Using a Wiki to Promote Collaboration and Critical ThinkingJanine Lim, [email protected]: outonalimTwitter: outonalim

What is a wiki?A quick way to make a website… others can edit if you choose.

Hawaiian for “quick”

Critical Thinking Through Online Collaboration

NSSE Taxonomy of Learning Memorizing facts, ideas, or methods Analyzing basic elements of an idea

or theory Synthesizing and organizing ideas Making judgments about value of

information Applying theories or concepts

Source: Lynn Merklin’s Feb. 27 General Faculty Assessment Presentation


Source: http://uwf.edu/cutla/assessstudent.cfm

Learning Outcome Active VerbsAnalyze: Compare, Contrast, Calculate, Test, Analyze

Evaluate: Argue, Assess, Defend, Judge, Evaluate

Create/Synthesize: Construct, ComposeCreate, Design, Propose


Collaboration is the process of two or more people collectively creating emergent, shared representations of a process and or outcome that reflects the input of the total body of contributors.

Elliott, M. A. (2007). Stigmergic collaboration: A theoretical framework for mass collaboration, from http://mark-elliott.net/blog/?page_id=24

Elliott, M. A. (2007). Stigmergic collaboration: A theoretical framework for mass collaboration, from http://mark-elliott.net/blog/?page_id=24

Critical Thinking and Collaboration

Collaboration is the process of two or more people collectively creating emergent, shared representations of a process and or outcome that reflects the input of the total body of contributors.

Learning Outcome Active VerbsAnalyze: Compare, Contrast, Calculate, Test, Analyze

Evaluate: Argue, Assess, Defend, Judge, Evaluate

Create/Synthesize: Construct, ComposeCreate, Design, Propose

Collectively create,

compose, construct

Assess, evaluate

, integrat

e

Compare,

analyze, integrat

e

Sample Wiki Uses Individual writing/creation collected in one

class space Manage group projects Collaboration with another class (another

institution or even internationally) Committees and other collaborative work

Program review Tracking work

Peer editing

Example: What If? Scenarios Learners review a situation and predict what

would be the outcome or consequences if one or more factors are changed. What if Hitler had not attacked the Soviet Union? What would happen if you added more heat to a

sealed container? Works best with two to four students. Decide if all groups work on the same scenario or

each group does a different scenario. Students must first identify the factors with an

impact on the current scenario before they can take the changed scenario.

West, J. A., & West, M. L. (2009). Using wikis for online collaboration. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Example: Case Studies Case studies encourage students to evaluate the

strengths and limitations of a situation or problem, and to suggest alternative solutions and actions.

Key is to have an open-ended problem or question that has many different yet valid answers or solutions.

Explain clearly the guidelines students need to follow. Use an assessment rubric.

Wiki will need case material pages and case solution pages for each group.

Student will need space to research, analyze, and write the case solution.


Example: Debate Debates allow

students to explore opposing sides of an issue.

Wiki needs space for the debate question, background information, and a structure for framing arguments.


Example: Collaborative Research Paper Group research paper or presentation. The wiki

facilitates the group work and tracks input by each member.

Include a group planning page with research topic, group member roles, goals and outlines.

Research page to track research and highlight resources.

The paper/presentation page to hold the final product.

Best tools: GoogleDocs or Google Presentations.


Example: Evaluation or Research Study A collaborative space can expedite the

review process and provide a robust environment for mentoring.

Organization: research topic, background and significance, method, instrument, resources such as cited sources, suggestions from mentors, etc.

Use the commenting option of the wiki for feedback.

Use the document history to review progress.


Wiki Frames


Collaborative Creation Tools Wikis:

www.wikispaces.com, www.pbworks.com, GoogleSites

GoogleDocs: word processing, spreadsheets, forms (data collection), drawing

Comparison of Asynchronous Communication ToolsWikis Blogs Threaded

Discussions

Collaborative authorship

Single author Multiple authors

Dynamic Static Static

Nonlinear and multipage construction

Linear construction

Threaded construction


Preparation Tips Select a wiki service, choose a wiki URL,

and invite contributors Establish a purpose for the wiki project Define the wiki project’s learning goals Design a rich context and problem

(frame) Prepare students for the work Promote a collaborative process


Framing the Assignment Goals and outcomes Guidelines for teams: group roles and ground

rules Team process pages (ice breakers, group

planning pages, profiles) Scaffolding: organizational headings, initial

content, questions to answer, structure Assessment: Rubrics (1st process check, 2nd

process check, project outcomes), self-assessments


Managing the process Overcome fear and building trust Encourage prewriting: outlines, lists, non-

perfect examples of writing Provide informal feedback to groups Teach constructive editing Monitor workload division in groups (unique

wiki ability) Resolve or mediate conflicts Encourage reflection

Cautions and Guidelines FERPA / HIPPA or any other legally protected data

should never be stored in the cloud. Credit card numbers, financial identifying information,

identification numbers such as social security numbers, etc. should never be stored in the cloud.

Caution should be exercised when storing institutional and personal intellectual property in the cloud.

Realize that with any non-contracted free service, your data can disappear at any time, and can be visible to anyone that company decides to share it with.

Consult with School of Distance Education instructional technology team before using cloud services.

Wikis are much more than an online fad. Because wikis represent a combination of three stable concepts – collaboration, writing, and constant Web access – the wiki will remain a staple of the Web and will continue to evolve in it’s usefulness for online education and the workplace (p. 127).


Bibliography Cole, M. (2009). Using wiki technology to support student engagement: Lessons

from the trenches. Computers and Education, 52(2009), 141-146. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2008.07.003

Elliott, M. A. (2007). Stigmergic collaboration: A theoretical framework for mass collaboration. http://mark-elliott.net/blog/?page_id=24

Engstrom, M., & Jewett, D. (2005). Collaborative learning the wiki way. TechTrends, 49(6), 12-15. doi: 10.1007/bf02763725

De Pedro, X., Rieradevall, M., Lopez, P., Sant, D., Pinol, J., Nunez, L., & Llobera, M. (2006). Writing documents collaboratively in higher education using traditional vs. wiki methodology (I): Qualitative results from a 2-year project study. Paper presented at the International Congress of University Teaching and Innovation, Barcelona.


Wheeler, S., Yeomans, P., & Wheeler, D. (2008). The good, the bad and the wiki: Evaluating student-generated content for collaborative learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(6), 987-995. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00799.x

Xiao, Y., & Lucking, R. (2008). The impact of two types of peer assessment on students' performance and satisfaction within a Wiki environment. The Internet and Higher Education, 11(3-4), 186-193. doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc.2008.06.005

Visit my blog for direct links to articles: Lim, Janine. (2012). Using wikis for online collaboration. http://blog.janinelim.com/?p=4414

using a wiki to promote collaboration and critical thinking

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