Weekly Report & Reflection #8

In this week’s Weekly Report and Reflection, I will be reflecting on wiki’s!

http://goo.gl/zfft0t

Wiki's are webpages that allow for group collaboration, through access to one webpage, that can be edited and saved.  Wiki's are basically a word type document that can be shared, edited and saved, and then shared again. Wiki's allow for many authors to input different thoughts and ideas onto one common page, creating an easy place to access useful information. There are however concerns with Wiki's. Wikipedia, is probably the most well-known wiki out there and it is well known that the problem with this website is its credibility.  When a webpage is available for nearly anyone to edit it can quickly lose its credibility. Wiki's do have the option to be shared amongst people who are chosen to access the document. 

http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/wikis/

Out of the web 2.0 tools that we have accessed this far in the course I would say wiki's fall right in between blogs and Google docs. Where a blog is more of a one way street, wiki's are shared and more of a group effort, but not nearly as group orientated as Google docs.  In a similar fashion to Google docs wikis can be edited by whoever the file is shared with, where wikis such as Wikipedia can be edited by nearly anyone if it is left public. This is where the problem with credibility comes into play.  

After using Google Docs it’s going to be hard to find a web 2.0 tool much better than that.  When I think of ways that I may use a wiki to plan a vacation, (as mentioned in Wiki's in Plain English ) for homework, to organize a sporting event, I have a hard time convincing myself that I would use a wiki over Google docs. I personally believe Google docs has everything one would need to collaborate and communicate. The main differences between the two are the ability for groups to work on a word document at the same time. While wikis are just as easy to use, access and share, Google docs are just as easy, with more capabilities.  Google docs allows your group to work on something at the same time, everyone gets their own colours, you can publish and set to view only, you can insert links, and so on. I truly find that Google Docs to be the best 2.0 tool that I've had the pleasure of using this semester.

There are many ways to use wikis to support learning. I would use a wiki to encourage group work and to send and share useful information while working on a group project. Wiki's can be used by teachers and set to a view only setting where students could see the updates being made daily, but not given the ability to delete, change or edit. 

While exploring my Feedly reader this week I came across this article by Vicki Davis called  What Your Students Really Need to Know About Digital Citizenship. I found it extremely insightful as it spoke about the 9 P’s of digital citizenship.Passwords, Privacy, Personal Information, Photographs, Property, Permission, Protection, Professionalism, and Personal Brand. Definitely worth taking a look at. 

So again this week I reflect on what I am learning about becoming a digital citizen and the rights and responsibilities of living in a digital society.  I realize that I am learning new things every week, and those things are numerous.  I learned that being a digital citizen is a two way street. I have learned that a digital citizen follows the golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated, talking to people as if they’re in the same room as you, that we need to work together to determine appropriate-use framework acceptable to all. (Ribble, 2011) and that rights and responsibilities include being a good citizen, by doing to harm.