Why Use Blogs and Wikis in Blackboard?

Sally Kuhlenschmidt

January 21, 2009

Objectives

• To appreciate the nature and culture of blogs and of wikis.

• To identify how Blackboard has translated these tools.

• To identify ways to use the tools in instruction.

Overview

• What is a blog in Blackboard?

• What is a wiki in Blackboard?

• How are they different from one another? From current tools?

• How might you use them in instruction?

• This is NOT a “how to” session on the technology.

• Training videos are available from IT for those details.

Why use either?

• Only because they suit the course learning objectives, your style and your type of students.

What is a blog*?

Blog “out there”

• A conversation in response to a stimulus, e.g., a reading.

• An individual’s free expression

• Shared with the world.

• Organized by date, like a diary or journal.

Blog in Blackboard

• A post in response to an assignment, e.g., a reading.

• Assigned task from the instructor

• Sharing is determined by the teacher, within limits.

• Organized by date, like a diary or journal

*“Web log”

Blogs• *Easy* to make Web page.

• Culture of blogging– current, experiential, passionate opinion, documentation, not for everyone.

• Community—read and share back. – Done w/RSS

RSS*

• When the RSS button on the blog is clicked, the person is subscribed to the blog.

• Next time the blogger updates the blog, the subscriber gets a message in their aggregator and the content is automatically downloaded.

*Really Simple Syndication

BB Blog Qualities

• Within a blog, can filter to see a single student’s contributions.

• Can print just top level posts or posts and comments.

• Can see the history of the author’s editing—all drafts.

Choose version above then see this:

BB Blog Qualities

• Can have a teacher blog for reflection/modeling. – Have Documents, Announce.,

External links for those traditional blog elements.

• Can have group blogs – iffy

• Can have individual student blogs open or closed.

• **The title is always visible.**

For Students

Individual………. Group

Blogs

Wikis

Interaction /Response

.

.

.Content/

Product

Discussion

Process

Assessment

Portfolio

Assignment

Public - RSS

Exportable

BB Blog vs BB Discussion

BB Blog

• Single layer– Chronological sort– “Top most post”-centric.

Subtly, encourages all comments to relate to the top level post.

• Authorship is central– this is “X’s” blog.

• Encourages on-topic comments.

BB Discussion

• Multi-layers– Sort in various ways– Topics often change at any

point in a thread.

• Authorship is diffuse-this is “everyone’s” discussion.

• Bring up any question/issue-new thread.

BB Blog vs BB Discussion

BB Blog

• RSS – can choose to share top most level of blog (final version) with anyone by sending them the RSS URI

• Navigation– around the edges

BB Discussion

• Always private short of copying/pasting into an e-mail.

• Navigation– straight down the thread.

BB Blog vs BB AssignmentBB Blog

• Teacher sets public-ness.

• Either all comments are

public, only teacher cmnts or cmnts aren’t allowed.

• Instructions for students must be in first post or elsewhere.

• Just makes Gradebook entry. Must go there to grade. (So: open two windows).

BB Assignment

• Only teacher & the student can see

• Teacher can privately comment

• Instructions for student are right there.

• Can score when reading the assignment.

Strengths of Blogs

• Easy – simplified discussion board

• Often familiar format

• Single passionate voice

• Can break down barriers when read by everyone

• Novelty for now

Challenges of Blogs• Libel.

• Novelty– avoid “because it is there” and others use it.

• Authorship– Loosely defined in the culture.– Traditions of “sharing content” what

we call plagiarism.

• Some students won’t like public writing.

Thoughts from Downes, 2004

• Is it a blog if you are the prompt & the audience?

• If the author has no intrinsic engagement w/another author?

• If they can be “wrong”? If they are graded?

• It may be blog software, but not a blog.

Blogging isn’t about writing, it’s about

responding.

• Downes, S. (2004). Educational blogging. Educause Review, 9(5). Retrieved January 13, 2009 from http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0450.asp

Pause & Reflect

• How might you use a blog in one of your courses?

Ex. of Blogs in EducationAll kinds of reflection/reaction:

• Annotating, storing URLs

• Personal comments & observations

• Commenting on current events to become part of the event

• Journal, e.g., lab journal, reflection

• Summarize readings (group blog)

• Writing Club

Breathe

What is a wiki*?

Blog “out there”

• A conversation in response to a stimulus, e.g., a reading.

• An individual’s free expression.

• Shared with the world.

• Organized by date, like a diary or journal.

Wiki “out there”

• Software that permits collaborative authoring.

• Anyone in a group can write, edit, and they can debate the merits of the process.

• May be shared or just for the group.

• Organized by whatever emerges from the content.

*Hawaiian for very fast

What is a wiki?

Wiki “out there”

• Software that permits collaborative authoring.

• Anyone in a group can write, edit, and they can debate the merits of the process.

• May be shared or just for the group.

• Organized by whatever emerges from the content.

Wiki in Blackboard

Same

Instructor determines

Instructor determines

Same

Wiki qualities

• Range of wiki types depending on the community– Wide open chaos to tightly

structure (or are those just authoring tools?)

• Simple design

• Saves successive edits so can be restored.

Choose version above then see this:

Wiki culture

• Certain level of chaos – lose boundaries– Never finished – an author may

leave blank for another to finish– Reading and editing are mashed– “Authorship” is amorphous.

Content “cloning”, not plagiarism

For Students

Individual………. Group

Blogs

Wikis

Interaction /Response

.

.

.Content/

Product

Discussion

Process

Assessment

Portfolio

Assignment

Public - RSS

Exportable

BB Wiki vs BB Discussion

BB Wiki

• Typically a single collective, integrated project is goal.

• Editing is major element.

BB Discussion

• Many threads of conversation, no integrated outcome

• No editing of already posted items.

BB Wiki vs BB Assignments

BB Wiki

• Permits the process of collaboration to unfold while teacher watches.

• Can determine individual contributions.

• Hyperlinked pages– navigation can be tricky.

• Can upload files and display images

• To save must archive.

BB Assignments

• Teacher gets a final product unless solicits drafts.

• Cannot easily determine individual contributions.

• Traditional document.

• Same• Once downloaded - saved

Wiki Strengths

• Easy• Collaboration• Public sharing is motivating• Teaches “network literacy” –

working in a collaboration

Assumption: People will police themselves if the community is healthy.

Wiki Challenges• Libel

• Getting a community to agree on a copyright standard

• Best with genuine interest, courage

• Wiki pages multiply

• Grading – BB adds student name.– Have them document process (e.g.,

pub task plans)

Thoughts from Lamb, 2004

• Controlling all the problems means students don’t face the messy world of collaboration. One loses the “good” disruption w/the “bad”.

• Can you rethink your authority?

• Or does the wiki just become a fancy Powerpoint?

Lamb, B. (2004). Wide open spaces: Wikis, ready or not. Educause Review, 39(5), 36-48 Retrieved January 13, 2009 from http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/WideOpenSpacesWikisReadyo/40498

Pause & Reflect

• How might you use a wiki in one of your courses?

Ex of Wikis in Education

All phases of tasks

• Planning – shared brainstorming, group style guide, agenda (converts to minutes the group can revise)– Group made study

guides/glossaries, annotated URLs

• Creation – response papers, drafts, collaborative composition, lab manual, guides, tips, summary/reviews of materials– Could be a solo project for class

viewing.

• Product sharing, review by peers

More information

• https://wiki.umn.edu/view/TeachingWithWikis/WebHome

• http://writingwiki.org/default.aspx/WritingWiki/For%20Teachers%20New%20to%20Wikis.html – Great suggestions for introducing to

students.

Review• Blogs in BB are controlled conversations.

– simplify the discussion board.– Passion/individual-centric.

• Wikis are collaborative authoring.– Editing/content-centric.

• Or just use either to track edits

• Discussion is community/interaction-centric.

• Assignment is product-centric.

Why use either?

• If they suit the course learning objectives, your style and your type of students.

• What is the learning objective? How well does each match?