Wiki Learning: Pros and Cons for Adult Learners
My Personal Experience
My first thought when I was required to create my first Wiki
page was “Oh no!” As an older adult learner, I did not feel comfortable using
technology to collaboratively create a document that would count heavily
towards my grade. The process was
overwhelming, and I was grateful to have only one Wiki partner – who was just
as nervous and concerned, but also just as motivated to earn a good grade.
Franz’s (2012) statement that asynchronous learning tools are often managed best
when the groups are small was frequently echoed by my Wiki partner and me as we
relied heavily on each other, and found comfort in the fact that we could count
on each other to do a good job. Our virtual teamwork was enhanced by what
Rains, as cited in Franz (2012, p. 267 -268), terms equal participation, equal
control, and equal influence over the outcome of the project. In the end, our project facilitated critical
thinking skills (King & Cox, 2011; West & West, 2009), helped us build the
skills required for teamwork and idea sharing through technology, and greatly enhanced
our social interaction (Hazari, North & Moreland, 2009). Beyond providing us with a product we could
use in our portfolios (Hazari, North & Moreland, 2009), the Wiki project was
the genesis of a small, collaborative team that continued to support each other
throughout the course – and beyond.
Fortunately, because my only experience with Wiki page
collaborations has been within the K-State learning management systems, I have
not experienced the negative consequences of unwanted or inappropriate editing
and posting that one might find in a less secure online system (King & Cox,
2011). However, I have found my attempts
at editing and customizing Wikis to be frustrating, primarily due to the limited editing features inherent in
the system (West & West, 2009), and my own lack of technological proficiency.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3572/3480333872_9bf97338a6.jpg
On the whole, I have found that Wiki’s provide a positive learning
experience. The Wiki creation process motivates me to elaborate, edit, and
customize the page throughout the duration of the assignment. I would almost call
it addictive. I enjoy creating. I enjoy learning. So, while challenging, creating a Wiki page
while learning about a topic is somewhat bizarrely fun. And, because Wiki ownership is shared, and
new ideas are integrated directly into the page, the process is very
collaborative and dynamic – a definite positive for developing my problem
solving skills (West & West, 2009). And,
since collaboratively creating a Wiki page also enhances
my self-confidence with the use of technology, and cultivates my “voice and
empowerment” (King & Cox, 2011, p. 25), the process becomes a win-win.
References:
Franz, T. M. (2012).
Group dynamics and team interventions: Understanding and improving team
performance. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Hazari, S., North, A., & Moreland, D. (2009).
Investigating pedagogical value of Wiki technology. Journal of Information Systems Education. 20(2). 187-198
King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The professor’s guide to taming technology. Charlotte, NC:
Information Age Publishing.
West, J. & West, M. (2009). Using Wikis for online collaboration: The power of the read-write Web.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey –Bass
The visual you include in this post about the intersection of a blog and a wiki is fascinating. I'm wondering if you found that in an academically-oriented source or a digitally-oriented source?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like the visual. I needed to be brave and expand my technology horizons, so I went to my favorite source, Google Images. While participating in a copyright workshop at my job, I learned how to filter the image search to those open for "reuse and modification." So now when I need images, at least I know I have permission to use someones work!
DeleteNicely done.
DeleteThe idea from King and Cox,and West and West that you quote about facilitating improving critical thinking skills strikes home for me. In working with you in Group 4 it has been a great experience hearing three different perspectives on the topics and the discussion has been one that has stimulated my thinking. We've been successful with collaborating and arriving at shared solutions. I can't imagine trying to build the wiki with more than three people- it would slow the process of creation immensely. I also believe that you're better with technology than you give yourself credit for. Love the opportunity to hear your "voice"!
Kathleen,
DeleteThanks for information about Google images. I was thinking about looking for a neat graphic to add to my blog and was worried about the copyright.
Jennifer,
DeleteTo get to the "usage rights" tab you first need to type in the name of what you're looking for, then once the images appear, select the "search tools" tab at the top of the screen. Several tabs will appear underneath - "usage rights" being one of them. Have fun!
Kathleen,
ReplyDeleteI think one benefit of having group projects is that we do have the opportunity to lean on one another and use each other for support. I was so nervous as well in my last class using the wiki. Fortunately, a student in our group was in her last class and really provided a lot of guidance for us that were not nearly as experienced. I agree with you that we all want to do a good job. We try hard, I think, because we do not want to let anyone else in the team down. It is funny you mentioned unintended editing because we had a pretty neat graphic that was suddenly gone. Not sure what happened to it, but whatever it was, it was not intentional. The student who posted it thankfully was able to redo it and put it back in with no problems (not trying to scare you, just that it can be fixed). It is fun when we are done with a project like that to look back it and think, “Wow, we did that.” It is a pretty satisfying feeling.
Hi Jennifer,
DeleteThanks for your response. I have encountered the same difficulties and frustrations with unintended editing - and it WAS pretty scary! Thankfully, my first Wiki partner was well versed with technology and cautioned me to hit the "SAVE" tab frequently. This strategy really helped - not only in Wikis, but also while using other technologies. Such a simple thing--but it makes technology much more user-friendly for me!
Kathleen, first of all I loved reading your post. Your voice in your blog is inviting and easy to read.
ReplyDeleteNow onto the content. Your anecdote of your experience in learning and experiencing wikis was so insightful. West & West (2009) may assert that LMS versions of wiki software are a mix between free and fee-based wiki services, but it doesn't sound like your experience was as easy as they claim (p. 6-7). I grew up with this technology, so hearing your actual experience helps me to get into the shoes of adult learners who don't have as much experience with technology and helps me think of ways to make it easier. I think Dr. Kang was wise to do the wiki survey earlier to create our groups for that reason.
Tagging on to this comment- you bring out a topic that I find interesting, which is your being a "digital native" and growing up with this technology. Seeing others who are of younger generations and the ease with which they navigate technology can intimidate even those of us who've been working hard to keep up. As much as you likely can't imagine a world without the internet, it's been an amazing perspective for me to see how much that has changed our society, the way we interact, the way we learn and how we operate in society. As an example, I now do almost as much shopping online as in person- and am pleased with the results! I can do it in my pajamas without any regard for the times when a storefront is "open." That is a dramatic change in how we live our everyday lives, from my perspective.
DeleteOkay- I just spent 30 minutes responding to your comments and clicked the wrong button and lost everything. So, I typed it over again in a Google Doc to keep it safe. When I tried to publish again, I was told that I didn't have administrative permission because I was on my Chromebook and automatically signed in under my other gmail account. Alright- I emailed myself to request permission to share the Google Doc, then opened that email account to allow myself to share with myself (really??). I still wasn't able to publish so I gave up, made a cup of tea, ate a piece of cake, and then went and got my other computer. I wouldn't ordinarily share all this, but it just fits our conversation so perfectly. Now, if we were in a F2F classroom I could have spoken with both of you, smiled, laughed, watched your reactions, and wouldn't be sitting here typing this up all over again. So...something like 60+ lonely minutes responding using technology vs. 5 minutes interacting and talking in person. That's my technology life in a nutshell.
ReplyDeleteDeAnna - Thank you for your kind words. I guess there really is something to be said for "voice and empowerment!" (King & Cox, 2011, p.25).
As far as our technology conversation goes - I'll have to agree with LeadingJourney and say that it's very interesting, and a bit unnerving, to live in a world that's so dependent on technology. And...I also love the convenience of online shopping, but when it comes to learning, brainstorming, and writing - I still pick up my pencil and paper:)
King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The professor’s guide to taming technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Tea and cake are a good remedy, as is another computer. Though I use a computer literally nonstop all day at work, if I want to get something done quickly, I still talk to the person face to face. Even my instant messaging in Jabber sometimes doesn't get the job done. And I sympathize with the gmail issue- I now have three gmail addresses. Not easy to manage. Way to hang in there!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteWe share similar frustrations with the lack of creativity within a wiki. I believe it was actually one of my 'cons' in my blog. When I blog, create presentations, or write informational material, I truly enjoy being able to create an aesthetically appealing item. Unfortunately, many wikis do not have the capabilities of color-coding, font distinction, or really anything other than font sizing and embedding capabilities. The benefit to this lack of creative tools is that it is less intimidating to learners who are new to the technology. Wikis are quite simple to learn, and can put learners on a level playing field with each other when working collaboratively.