New Media in Education Blogs & Wikis for Interactive Learning Dr. Chris Greer Georgia College & State University

blog What is a blog? Short for web log or weblog Generally contains text, links, and sometimes images Very popular among political pundits, technology sites, and individuals who want to share their lives with an online audience Began back in 1994 There are now hundreds of thousands, if not millions

education Educational Uses? Most colleges use Web CT or a variant, great tools but cold interface Online classes are heavily dependent on good discussion among the class Good discussion can depend on how easily the course is accessed Clean layout helps with the overall experience

education Educational Uses? Great way to disperse the latest content Can be an excellent resource for students to use later in their careers Not as out-of-date as a textbook

distance Using a blog for distance learning Make a post on a topic each week The comments section is used as a discussion board Students are strongly encouraged to discuss each topic, share opinions, and raise new questions Students are also “guest bloggers” Past Blogs Information Technology in the Media Center Info Tech / School Technology Hybrid School Based Technology Systems

feedback Blog feedback Feedback from students about the blog experience has been very positive Vast majority of students prefer to blog over a more traditional online class I continue to use blogs in my classes, as well as make revisions to how it is used Cons?

wiki What is a wiki? A small, efficient piece of software that lets users easily create and edit basic web pages Supports hyperlinks, uses a simplistic markup system for formatting Can be run on just about any server that allows PHP Totally free!

at work Wikis at work Wikipedia.org is one great example of how Wikis can be usedWikipedia.org Stimulates group thinking, building of collaborative knowledge Can be a great benefit to the classroom Allows users who lack technical skills to still take part in the creation process

classroom Wikis in the classroom? Assign a project to the class, allow them to build the project in a wiki Can be great for online learning, creates a common meeting place for the content to be organized Can be a helpful addition to K-12 and higher education classes as well Creates that online component that supplements the face to face instruction Let’s check out a working Wiki

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