I learned something new this week. Google Docs is a wiki. My mind is blown. I have never studied wikis or been taught about them before. I've used Wikipedia to research things and I knew people could edit it. I'd never seen the real definition or been given examples of wikis, so when I read that I realized I had lied earlier when I said I had no experience with wikis. If Google Docs is a wiki, then I'm super experienced, I just didn't even begin to realize it.
So after that aha moment while I was reading, I will get into the pros of using wikis with adult learners. First of all, they are a fantastic way to collaborate. As King and Cox (2011) put it, "Powerful aspects of wikis in higher education are their collaborative and community-building power" (p. 124). In my experience using a Google Doc to collaborate with other teachers is about the easiest thing ever. I open it, share it, then we can look at the same thing and edit at the same time. Not only that, West and West (2009) point out that, "Activities that promote interaction and collaboration with their peers are becoming an integral part of how students learn" (p. 2). We're able to collaborate and not have to take turns while doing it. Another pro of wikis is that they are so easy to use. King and Cox share that only a basic understanding of technology is necessary to access, create and update technology (2011, p. 122). The fact that wikis are so easy means that there isn't a lot of up front teaching necessary, making it easier to implement in adult education. Since so many adults have such a variety of experience with technology, the easier the better. I may be able to edit more quickly and efficiently in Google Docs, but my coworker who is less technologically savvy is able to work her way through it only asking a few questions along the way as opposed to other technologies that we have to use at work.
I could go on and on with the pros because I obviously love Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Classroom and so on, but I will refrain and move on to a few of the downfalls. One downfall would be the ability for others to edit the wiki. King and Cox admit that wikis "can be edited by any individual who may post inappropriate or irrelevant content to the wiki" (2011, p. 123). They also continue on to share that there are ways to avoid that by using administrative features to protect the content or to revert to previous versions, (King and Cox, 2011, p. 123). In using Google Docs this week I accidentally pasted over something I meant to copy, but was able to quickly rectify the situation. You can revert back to a previous format as easily as you can mess up the current one. Another con for wikis is that they are an asynchronous form of communication. Hazari, North and Moreland (2009) put it this way, "A group can collaborate more effectively in a “live” Web 2.0 format, as compared to asynchronous messaging used in most existing course- management tools which takes more time to arrive at a consensus between members and limits spontaneous group collaboration," (p. 195). Being able to have a face to face, voice chat or video chat conversation can greatly add to collaboration and make wikis better. When working at home with a colleague on a Google Slide presentation it's a slower process than working while sitting next to him or her and being able to discuss what we're collaborating on.
There are obviously many more pros and cons, but these are just a few to consider when considering adult learners and wikis.
References:
Hazari, S., North, A., & Moreland, D. Investigating pedagogical value of wiki technology. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(2), 187-198.
King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The professor’s guide to taming technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
West, J. and West, M. (2009). Using wikis for online collaboration: The power of the read-write web. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
I am like you in that I did not know that Google Docs was a wiki. Though I have not used it nearly as often as you, I have used it once. A student in my group set it up and I was able to figure it out with no instructions as it was pretty easy to use. I liked that we could all add our ideas for our project and make changes with little difficulty. It made for very easy collaboration for the students in my group. I have already been thinking of ways I can incorporate a wiki into my work like using one for important phone numbers that we need to keep on hand or maybe even a training manual where certain people can make edits but everyone can access for reference.
ReplyDeleteJenny,
DeleteMy school district has "gone Google", so we use it for everything. Our district curriculum is done through Google Docs. Our meeting agendas are completed on Google Docs. When I do presentations I always use Google Slides. We literally use it all the time for everything. Once you start to see the uses of it, you'll use it for everything. I am completing my entire Portfolio for my degree in Google and it's so helpful since I'm a distance student. I think you'll love the possibilities as you really start using it more.
I am really a newbie when it comes to Google and never paid much attention to it before. When I read your comment I thought I would check it out. There is a lot more to it than I realized.
DeleteDeAnna, this is interesting to me- that you are using Google for your portfolio. I'll have to get more information about that offline from you... would love to know how that's working.
DeleteI like the proposal to do a Hangout or Skype at the same time as working on a wiki as a way to add more collaboration. There's something about seeing someone face to face that lets you get things done more quickly. Thanks for an interesting post.
There definitely is a lot to it and I really enjoy using it. I do think that being able to discuss things makes it easier to collaborate, so something like Hangouts or Skype really does add to the final product.
DeleteYou mention the asynchronous nature of the wiki as a "con" and although I completely agree that face to face collaboration is often faster and easier, I appreciate that I can work on a Wiki whenever I have the time. Camacho, Carrión, Chayah, and Campos (2016) found that the flexibility of the Wiki platform improved learning, while also exposing graduate students to diverse perspectives and fostering a sense of community. As an adult graduate learner with multiple responsibilities, and little free time, I find working on a Wiki a great way to collaborate while maintaining my own personal schedule and sanity:)
ReplyDeleteReference
Camacho, M., Carrión, M., Chayah, M., & Campos, J. (2016). The use of wiki to promote students' learning in higher education (Degree in Pharmacy). International Journal of Educational Technology In Higher Education, 13(1), 1-8. doi:10.1186/s41239-016-0025-y
Kathleen,
DeleteVery good points. I think that wikis are definitely a positive for helping distance education students complete tasks on their own time as you mentioned. I also completely understand the lack of time and see how the asynchronous nature of the wiki can be helpful in those situations. However, if I am to choose, I would much prefer to be able to discuss changes in real time. I think there is definitely a component of the work that I'd like to do on my own time, but when we get to formatting and finishing up and in some of the planning stages it's really nice to be able to chat with the people I'm working with while I'm doing those things to make sure it is exactly what we want it to be.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI honestly didn't believe Google Docs was a wiki before this week when I did the readings for this chapter. West & West (2009) call Google Docs a free wiki service in the first chapter. Also under wiki resources, King & Cox (2011) mention Google Docs as a free wiki service. Now Google Docs has changed a lot in the past 5-7 years since these books were written, but they were at least considered that by the book.
They may not be your typical wiki service, but my district has created our curriculum website through it and it has the functionality of a wiki.
I'm not sure if the books are wrong, outdated or if it is actually a type of wiki service, but I do know that it can be used in a wiki type fashion.
In the Wiki at my work, we embed Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Forms all the time to allow for easy updating. It's wiki-ception!
ReplyDeleteOne big task I undertook was getting our degree program worksheets in an interactive format. I used a Google Form survey with checkboxes and divided it out into "Terms 1 and 2," "Terms 3 and 4" and so on for all our degree programs. Advisors can click and drag these interactive worksheets into student files to save and update as students progress through their programs. It made me realize how crucial the use of wikis can be!
The asynchronous trait of wikis, I think, can be a benefit. I developed a project for a class I took with Dr. Spikes through a Google Slides presentation. I believe that the fact we all were able to work on our portions individually while maintaining format made for a stronger presentation. Additionally, one of my group members was unable to make it to our presentation and we already had access to what she wanted, so I was able to present her part seamlessly. It "provides an environment for social interaction between learners in which they can have a dialogue and discuss their learning and perspectives" (King & Cox, 2011).
Sarah,
DeleteYour work wiki sounds so useful! There was probably a lot of front end work, but it makes subsequent work go so much more effectively!
I've also used wikis asynchronously like that and they can be incredibly useful that way. I've experienced the same situation where one of my group members couldn't attend, but we made the presentation in Slides, so we were able to share their part of the presentation. Because we didn't know their rationale we were basically reading from the Slide instead of really being able to share, but it was better than nothing.
I can definitely see the positives of the asynchronous side of wikis.