Blogs and Wikis, Wikis and Blogs

Abstract

There are many ways to assess students and keep management over classes. Most practices are used as offline resources. New technology has broadened horizons for teachers and students alike. Before, students would write in a journal as a way of reflection at the end of the class or the day. Today, teachers are experimenting with different ways of collaborative learning. Two ways are the wiki and the blog. The wiki offers a way for individuals to post ideas and respond to each other. A wiki is a way for students to be cooperative learners. On the other hand, a blog is more like a diary. A blog is a place to post insights and ideas. A blog also leaves space for comments from the readers. In these aspects a blog and wiki are different. In some aspects they are the same. For example, both are ways to post items on the internet. Both are ways to get peer responses. Most importantly, both are ways to get a chance to participate in a new way of learning and of teaching. Reading blogs and participating in wikis are ways to get you to think of education in new ways. Reading blogs and wikis can make professional learning communities think deeper about curriculum and classroom management. Blogs and wikis are great for different aspects of teaching and learning. Teachers may find that they think in new ways after consistently reading education blogs and participating in wikis. Likewise, students who are invited to participate in these activities find a new and exciting way to partake in modern technology while having fun learning.


     In this article review, I will discuss the differences of blogs and wikis pertaining to usage and individuals using them. Blogging has become quite a fad in the past few years. People have begun blogging about anything from their children and job practices to their favorite hobbies and, well, their program of study. Blogs are a great way to show your ideas and interests for people who might be looking for new ideas and interests. A blog is a sort of diary. Most people may get a little intimidated with considering starting up a blog, however, using a blog is much like typing on a word-processing document in that a lot of the features are the same (Ferriter, 2009). Once started on a blog, the author should be able to find it pretty easy. Teachers have begun to use blogs as a way to allow students to write down their thoughts and ideas for assignments. Some teachers use it for small reading groups, while others may use it for conclusions to scientific experiments. Teachers have also begun to use other forms of communication called wikis.
     A wiki is excellent for collaboration between peers and coworkers. This too is much like a word processing document in that it looks very close to Microsoft Word. It’s an easy way to share documents while using less paper. A wiki gets sent back and forth while at the same time, having been saved in a skydrive so that it can be accessed over and over. Teachers like to use wikis as a way for students not only to create their assignments, but to also share their assignments with classmates. Classmates can then comment on each other's work. Teachers also get to read the assignment and comment.
     I am intrigued by this topic of blogging and wikis. I am not great at wikis and am trying to learn as fast as I can, however, I have had some experience with blogs. I have had a personal blog and a blog that followed my training schedule for upcoming running races. In recent years, I have created a blog from Kidblog for my highest group of readers in my third grade class. I meet with my highest group once a week. After we meet, I post an assignment and it is the student’s responsibility to read the assignment and respond using the blog. Kidblog is a student-friendly blog that is safe. As an administrator, I have the option to either let anyone read the blog or make it available to class members only. I always make the blog available to class-members only for safety and privacy reasons.
     Every year, I create a monthly newsletter that goes out to parents. In order to keep paper usage to a minimum, I try to keep the newsletter within one to two pages long. Then, I print the paper in color and hand it out. This is not very green. I actually was toying with the idea of creating a blog for parents instead of a newsletter. I would be careful not to mention names, post pictures of students, etc. I would keep it specifically designed to keep parents up-to-date on the progress and happenings of the class. My next newsletter is due out on Thursday this week--November 1st. What if I just created a blog instead of my paper copy? I do have to take into consideration that I work in a low-income school where not every student has access to the internet. Perhaps I could offer a paper copy if the parents request it, otherwise I could just write the blog. I will make the parents aware of the change by sending home a small note.
     In conclusion, blogging is meant to be like a diary while a wiki is meant to bring together a collaborative group. Blogging can be used like a wiki in that it can be used as a way for feedback and cooperative learning. A blog and a wiki are both modern ways for students to become active learners while also being a great assessment and classroom management tool for teachers.

Sources

http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/blog-basics (This site worked enough for me to read it, however, when I came back to it a few days later, it no longer worked. I did use this site for my sources, but couldn’t get back into it in order to do a correct APA citation of the source).

Ferriter, B. (February 2009). Learning with blogs and wikis Educational Ledership, 66 (4), 34-38. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb09/vol66/num05/Learning-with-Blogs-and-Wikis.aspx

Questions:

1. Do you currently or have you ever written a blog?
2. Do you prefer a blog or a wiki? Give three reasons why.
3. Do you believe that blogging with your students is an acceptable practice? Why or why not?