At uni, we had to do group presentations for two subjects. When we were teamed up, our team discovered that three of our group members lived reasonably close to each other but one lived quite far away. I suggested we use a Wiki to consolidate information without needing to meet face to face for group meetings. This also gave me a chance to see, in practical terms, how collaborative work using a Wiki is.
At first the site was used as a space to ‘knowledge dump.’ Every scrap of information, every idea or question or lead to places of interest was noted on the Wiki. This allowed each member to follow the progress of the presentation. Team members could comment on others ideas, pose questions to each other and information was consolidated as the heart of the presentation became clearer.
Having all the information in the one spot, and team members already familiar with information before each meeting ensured meetings became more about REFINING the knowledge we had gathered rather than using up precious time sharing research and commenting on what might be relevant and what might not be.
Plus
* No need to for group members to meet up to discuss ideas. All questions and information can be shared on line.
* Able to see who has been contributing.
* All information is shared, and in the one place.
* Projects can be worked on at any time of the day.
Minus
* Editing at the same time freaks out the site!
* Some people are scared of using the technology.
* Students can use the wiki purely as a knowledge dump, not building on knowledge or editing as they go which means the wiki becomes very overwhelming and crowded. Unfortunately when this happened, certain people had to continually take on the role of editing, ordering and minimising repeated information.
Interesting
* If people are not contributing, this can cause bad feelings amongst the group.
In the classroom, the Learning Manager could diffuse bad feelings within the group by ensuring students contributed to the gathering and organisation of information evenly, by checking the log of editors/contributors on line. Perhaps a criteria sheet could have one box for contribution, which is marked according to the log which outlines the contributions made.
Another positive:
ReplyDeleteThe Wiki allows students to work when they want, as it is accessible 24 hours a day. This means absentees are still able to collaborate with students in class. The 24 hour access also opens up the opportunity for teachers to use the tool to inform parents of student progress, and post homework or important details which can be accessed by students and parents alike, within the school and at home.