The pro’s of using a Wiki are outlined in West and West’s “Using Wikis for online collaboration. The difference between the blog and a wiki is, in my mind, the key reason to use a wiki. And that is that Wiki’s provide endless and ongoing collaboration within groups of interested users who wish to share information. Unlike the Blog, wiki’s are meant to be continuously updated. Once published it is expected that the wiki will continue to provide a collaboration environment (p4, 2009).
Computers and Education published an article in 2013 citing the surveyed science teachers only consider the Wiki as a benefit if people using the wiki take the time to learn how to properly set up the wiki. Instructors who did not see the benefits of using the wiki, did not put fourth the effort to learn and how to collaborate with their peers. The disadvantage to this is extremely high because on a wiki everyone is expected to be responsible for the published work, therefore everyone must learn the technology. In other forms of collaboration online, such as a discussion thread or publishing a single webpage, the number of people who must learn to use the new method of publication is lower, therefore having a lower effect on people who don’t wish to learn the new technology.
I believe this is related to the Technology Acceptance Model where users are only likely to continue using a new piece of technology if two things are high, the perceived usefulness of the technology or tool, and the ease of use or ability to learn how to use the new technology. E-Banking is another area in which this model applies, the perceived usefulness of managing a banking account is high, as is the ability to learn the technology is high.
Unfortunately, the wiki’s reliance on participation from all group members is a disadvantage as well as an advantage.
Donnelly, D.F., & Boniface, S. (2013). Consuming and creating: Early-adopting science teachers' perceptions and use of a wiki to support professional development. Computers & Education. v.68, pp.9-20.
West, J. and West, M. (2009). Using Wikis for online collaboration: The power of the read-write Web. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 9780470343333
Vazifeh, Z., Keivani, S., Nabizadeh-Mamkaveh, R., (2014). Investigation into clients' attitude to e-banking using technology acceptance model proposed by Davis. Advance in Natural and Applied Sciences. 8.(7), 801
Koul,
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of the Technology Acceptance Model but it's a great theory. Although wiki is a great common space for a short-term collaborative project, if adult learners don't perceive the need long-term, they will have no intentions on continuing to use it. As I mentioned in my blog, I am still struggling with the usefulness of wiki as it relates to professional or personal use. So I definitely relate to the model.
Thanks for sharing,
Tiffany
My advice, wait until you are done with the wiki before evaluating the usefulness of a wiki. Somethings you have to experience, like learning to swim. People can tell you over and over how to do it, but until you try for youself you will never really experience it. After my first wiki I remember leaving with a sense of amazement of how much I accomplished by allowing others to help and contribute. It really is a unique feeling.
ReplyDeleteKoul,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the Technology Acceptance Model as this is how I determine for myself if the technological tool is worth the effort to be incorporated in my day-to-day life. I would even go as far as stating the ease of use would trump the perceive usefulness as you would have to sell this point first before moving on to the next point. I have no working knowledge of just how useful wikis may or may not be but I am not totally sold on the idea of using them for collaborative learning. I am going into the project, much like this class, with an open mind though. In regards to your statement of wiki’s providing and endless and ongoing collaboration within groups, I think this goes along with Hazari, North, & Moreland’s (2009) reference of Collective Intelligence. Collective Intelligence is an idea that individuals can build collectively on each other’s knowledge by forming “participatory communities”.
Danella
Hazari, S., North, A. & Moreland, D. (2009). Investigating pedagogical value of wiki technology. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(2), 187-198.
Wikis live on sometimes even after the class is over whos is charged with the upkeep of the page after the class project is it the professor does it just become public domain? or does it get taken down all that hard work ust to have it removed seems so sad to me. but it is not very useful if someone is not in charge of it either
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs you’ve said a wiki is only as strong as it’s members. This is an issue with even the largest wiki, Wikipedia. Since there is relatively little diversity in the contributors to Wikipedia, certain types of articles don’t get published or are marked for deletion.
ReplyDeleteThe English Wikipedia has 118,057 active editors (people who have made at least one edit within a month), and 83-91% of them are male, and overwhelming percentage of them are white European or American, most are 18-30 years old, are not in a relationship, and have no children. This lack of diversity has encouraged systemic racism and sexism within the Wikipedia community, and is reflected in the articles that are on Wikipedia. Articles on topics related to children, education, and parenting are not as fleshed out as topics that are of interest to the demographics of the majority of editors. Articles about comic book characters and porn stars have been around for longer and somehow meet the criteria for “notability” when articles about historical female botanists do not.