Weekly Report & Reflection #8

Photo copied form: http://nancy-rubin.com/tag/wikis/

I had the opportunity to explore wikis this week. For people like me who were not fully aware of what a wiki is, a wiki is a website that anyone can edit using a web browser. The most famous wiki is called Wikipedia as it is one of the most used wikis in today's digital universe. I usually rely on Wikipedia if I need to find information on something. I use other wikis too that are useful in finding most of the television shows I watch or when I do not understand something. For example, I browse the Game of Thrones wiki to look up character information because I may not have understood the characters from simply watching the show. One concern with wikis is that it can be changed by anyone meaning that anyone can edit and add anything to the wiki; this can include false information that readers understand to be facts. There are many ways in which wikis can be used effectively but despite this, I would not completely rely on a wiki site because anyone online can change or add content and the content may not be exact or it may not be related to the topic of choice. Wikis are also meant to be quick as they provide information with regards to a topic. I find using wikis effective because, as a student, I find the need to look up concepts that I am unfamiliar with and I can read about the concept on the wiki source while quickly becoming informed and without having to read a wordy academic journal that does not completely make sense when you read it for the first time. Using a wiki effectively also means clicking the hyperlinked words to see if you can gain more knowledge and information about the specific topic.

Sarwar, F. (CC) 2015.

Wikis are similar to tools like Google Docs and Evernote because of the collaboration of information. While the main idea of Google Docs, Evernote and wiki is for people to work together, there are some differences between the three tools. Wikis are like Wikipedia and are designed for public use meaning that it is accessible for anyone with an internet browser. In contrast, Google Docs is meant for the use of a specific audience and is not for meant everyone to access as the audience depends on who you want your audience to be and who you give access to. Google Docs is better for times when you want a limited viewing audience whereas wikis are better if you want to share your information with everyone. A wiki is very different from Google Docs because Google Docs is essentially like using Microsoft Office tools whereas a wiki is a search engine for research material and/or topics. Evernote allows users to store important information by clipping or saving links to academic content in an organized digital notebook.

Photo copied from:
http://news.groupsoftware.com.br/index.php/novidades-na-documentacao-wikis/

I think wikis can be a great tool for educational purposes because wikis can be composed of many unique individuals' knowledge. There can be many sources that can be pooled together and later added into the wiki. As the saying goes, more minds are better than one! The drawback with wikis is that the information may not always be accurate; this is true for topics that may be complicated and are very detailed. Therefore, wikis can be used as a source of information, but it should not be used as the single and most reliable source, especially when you are writing a school paper. The paper should use more sources than just Wikipedia.

Throughout the experimentation in this course, I am continuing to build on my knowledge of being a digital citizen. Being a digital citizen comes with many digital rights and responsibilities and the biggest right and responsibility for me is respect. Everyone needs to be responsible in respecting others and everyone has the right to be respected because without respect, the Internet can be a very dangerous place.  It can be used for many positive things but it also can be used for many negative things.

Photo copied from: http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=1673

I have found that one of the most interesting article I found in my feedly reader this week is from Edudemic and is named 10 Most Popular Teaching Tools Used This Year. The article lists digital tools that have become known to be "the most essential and popular educational tools used in modern classrooms across the globe." Throughout the course thus far, there have been many digital tools I have had the opportunity explore and it makes me proud to read about those tools on this list as it indicates that I am further developing my knowledge of the digital world while also growing my PLE.