I totally agree. Students often have great insight into a topic or subject even though their experience may be limited. Being able to communicate this through social media outlets is a way to reinforce their learning.
I find it also allows them to "think out loud" where they may be developing a very interesting idea or concept and then others can brainstorm along with them to see if they come up with a conclusion or if they are still as confused as when they started, but at least they are collaborating in joining their knowledge. I agree with the other comment thought that it is also a good practice to develop the written skills vs just oral/verbal skills in developing their voice.
Love the use of wikis and blogs. Each student in one of schools where I teach establishes a blog that accompanies him/her throughout the program. It is personalized and comments from other students create an authentic audience - it is a very different feeling/type of motivation than the typical LMS discussion boards.
Using wikis and blogs help students improve their ability to organize their thoughts and express their ideas. Students need to understand that they lose nonverbal aspects of communication when using these tools; they also need to understand that they need to make their messages specific and clear to avoid miscommunication
These are also very useful tools for encouraging more students to become producers of knowledge. There is only so much time in a face-to-face classroom and not all students get a change to participate in discussions. Also, some students do not feel comfortable expressing their ideas in a face-to-face setting. Allowing students to participate and share their knowledge through wikis and blogs can help to overcome both of these obstacles.
Wikis and blogs enable students to reflect a little bit more before putting things down in writing. Technology and the socialization process have come together to welcome students to author their thoughts.
I have not used Wikis or Blogs for a class, only discussion forums for the distance learning students. The discussion forum has been very successful for some classes. I had a student once give a very detailed, but compassionate account of a problem that ocurred on her externship. It was engaging and I couldn't wait to read all of the other students' responses. I think a blog is like a discussion forum, so I may not try it yet, but I do like the idea of a Wiki. I will try it, probably also as extra-credit. I have both on-line and on-site students giving presentations in one of their courses, and the on-line students usually give a better presentation. They use digital resources more effectively since they are more familiar with them. Our on-line students are helping us to get more technology to the on-site students.
I am fairly new to these tools for teaching students, other than the discussion forum. I think that wikis and blogs can help students to learn by doing. They have to write something that others will seen, so they are more motivated to look facts up and get them right. Having the internet at the same time speeds up the process - I have looked in 3 books and not found the answer to a question and given up. With an internet search engine a question can be answered much faster and more completely. And students learn quickly how to ask better questions.
Sheri,
Thank you for sharing your experience with the online technology. Blogs provide an ongoing space for self reflection and commentary. I found blogs very helpful in developing the personal voice of the students in the class. Wikis are very helpful in developing collaborative skills.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Thanks for sharing the links with the class. I used to get a hard copy of Campus Technology and enjoyed their articles very much. I will be sure to take a look at these links.
Joel,
Excellent! I hope you find them helpful...
Dr. Ruth Reynard
James, you presented a good point about the aspect of wiikis and blogs for increasing critical thinking. They can also enhance instruction in the area of increasing writing skills. Of course, this aspect would require monitoring by the instructor and an orientation and review session for students at the beginning of the session. This would encourage students to produce writing that reflects proper grammar and mechanics. There can be a tendency for students who are constantly texting not to use capitalization properly. I cringe when I see the lower case "i" used when the capital "I" should be used. The addition of wikis and blogs to the learning environment can enhance critical thinking and writing skills.
Blogs and wikis are great ways for students to assess their understandings of a topic and share in an environment that may be less intimidating than face to face interaction. Posting on blogs and wikis encourages students to conduct research to support their point and analyze what their perspectives are.
Camille,
Yes, these tools really help students track their own thought development - that then helps the instructor learn more about each student's learning progress.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
They can if they are used correctly. Students are already used to social media, in which they post their ideas and their thoughts for a general audience. We can take that skill and direct it toward developing more focused and researched knowledge through an academic blog or wiki. If students use these resources to interact and provide feedback on each others postings, they can certainly create another forum for their learning.
I will admit, however, that I am skeptical of wikis and blogs. I do not see much difference in these resources and the discussion forum. If the discussion forum is used appropriately, then there should be no need for an outside blog or wiki in addition to the discussion forum. I sometimes think that educators believe that they must use all forms of new technology in a classroom without considering that many of those forms are redundant. Use a blog, yes, but don't also use a wiki AND a discussion board AND a white board AND a chat room. There is such a thing as resource overkill.
Discussion boards, wikis, and blogs are viewed as enabling technologies and can be used to support other instructional media in designing a blended learning solution. Often referred to as e-learning 2.0 or Web 2.0, these media components are primarily used as collaborative tools and generally not considered stand-alone instructional media delivery options. However, when integrated into a course or learning module supporting a structured learning environment, these social media tools can support active learning and knowledge construction through peer-to-peer interaction. Additionally, these tools can be used in an unstructured environment in supporting informal learning.
Jolly,
Have you used these tools dorectlywith students? How have they supported the collaboration of students and what kind of projects work best?
Dr. Ruth Reynard
They transform the student from be a receiver of knowledge to helping to generate it by authoring their own essays on topics related to the class, Essays that other students are able to discuss and analyze.
Thomas,
These also maximize the individual voice of the students in the learning process which helps both instructor and student become more informed of learning needs and perferences.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Thank you for the links Dr. Ruth,
I recently completed an online course where I learned to create a wiki and a blog. I am what we call technologically challenged, but I was able to do it. I have been wanting to create one for students so they are able to interact with each other in a safe environment. I know a lot of them communicate back and forth on facebook, but these articles will help establish safe boundaries.
