In exploring this week's design project, PBWorks, I learned so much in regards to the services provided by this type of wiki...as I have never experienced this type of resource before this course was taken, again, I've learned quite a bit.
I did as instructed and created a login for the PBWorks page, and researched the various features of the webpage.
I found the
purpose of PBWorks is to a "mange a team-based student centered, collaborative learning environment for the classroom, library, school, or district."
Examples viewed in PBWorks:
- High school online classrooms
- ESL Writing (for ESL classrooms)
- 5th Grade Collaboration (or any primary grade)
- Technology training
- Faculty access to supportive technology
The
Navigator feature on the side-bar had this to offer me to explore:
- How to use your wiki
- Examples folder
- Best practices
- Lesson plans
- Starred Pages and Files
Some of the
features that I found appealing in the Side-bar were:
- Discussion forum
- In the Classroom - Etiquette
- Help given when needed - PBWorks class manual or Support Center
When asked to click Edit to add your wiki - it was a bit unclear for me. I had to Google how to create a page, and it was then that I realized I had already created a "wiki" ...it was within PBWorks.
For actual utilization, a collaborative learning environment is created, as collaborative projects are suggested with others ideas offered as resources. I clicked on PBWorks resource "help link" given and the user manual listed.
When I clicked on
Directory of Wikis I found so many interesting wikis.
Those most interesting to me were those categorized as Higher Education. One in particular, is local, the DCCCD Dallas TeleCollege states "a travelling team specializing in instructional design, information technology, universal design, uses accessibility and video production." They meet with faculty members giving supportive in technology.
Another PBwiki user E. Fedderke uses it daily for announcements and assignments, react and reflect, ask questions, etc.
However, it was noted that 10% do not have computers so the assignments are difficult to complete in "study hall."
This becomes a good inservice topic. All grades, all subjects can be integrated for teaching. This serves as a reminder that instruction happens beyond the classroom walls. Literally, a world wide information source for acquiring knowledge.
Real examples of learning that I noted:
- Other school based projects
- Counselors are aiding other counselors on given topics.
- Language teachers - ESL, SSL, and foreign language teachers for language proficiency lessons.
- Creating workstations for collaborative learning.
- Departmental blogs
- World-Wide knowledge building, continuous editing and revision
- Frequently asked questions with answers provided and reviewed
- Exhibiting student's work
- Use it to enhance classroom discussions
- Using this a social software bookmaking, etc.
- Developing policies and implementation guidelines.
I noted the PBWorks manual as useful.
PBWorks - My PBworks, a personal workspace, to store content.
Administrative functions - Provide access, manage users, security, and global settings.
The educational use and scale - possibly for teachers, parents and students to collaborate on class projects, assignments, and share files.
Work Spaces - Over 300,000 Educational workspaces, transforms teaching and learning for millions of users.
Major Universities and large school districts utilize the collaborative learning environment.
REFLECTIONS of PBWorks:
Large scalability (
Affordances) - A wiki or interactive website affords student-centered learning.
Uses:
- Can use videos, document links, and build webpages.
- Access to world-wide information
- Store resources for future use
- Host and share information technology
- Distance learning modeling
CONTENT:
- Could be used to speak to Student Retention
- Staff access modules of learning
- Intervention is taught using best practices posted
- Staff would reflect and respond to the content posted.
- Additional suggestions to follow with impact (data/enrollment numbers) gained after census day (12th class day).
A PROPOSED
OBJECTIVE
A 20% increase in Hispanic enrollment increase from previous year - Staff could reflect and create a strategic plan to address the goal..
Staff (the Students)could:
- Create portfolios and file documents to submit (and share) for semester performance reports.
- Document departmental and team activities to gain enrollment access members.
- Denote persistence best practices to be followed. ie: Cohort meetings, student involvement such as questionnaires, surveys could be administered.
LEARNING THEORY APPLICATION:
Distributed learning/Distributed Cognition
As we have learned in this course, Wikipedia is a resource for many learners - it describes Distributed Learning as follows:
An approach to cognitive science research, in our case imparting new knowledge and understandings that utilize models of the extended mind.
This theory proposed that cognition and knowledge are not confirmed to an individual, rather it is distributed across individuals and tools (Best Practices) in the environment, and other wiki users.
Thus, this resource, PBWorks, an interactive technology tool may be what Edwin Hutchins, cognitive psychologist and anthropologist, perhaps envisioned; a community of learners that truly share learning, through innovative ideas and discussions. This type of learning is endless. I believe when you enter a site like PBWorks, all thoughts and ideas are not one's 'property'...rather it's shared intellectual property.
