MEDT 7477
Spring 2013
Wikis can be very helpful in the media center. Yet, I came across some great advice in my reading of Library 2.0 and beyond (2007): “...wikis are very cool tools, but a library does not need a wiki just because everyone else is getting one...a library might want to determine in what way a wiki is needed...only if a wiki is needed should the library spend the time and energy in starting one” (p. 31). As with all technology, the possibility exists that it may be an exciting new tool, but it may not serve a desired purpose or answer a specific need. If the new technology, in this case, the wiki, doesn’t serve a specific purpose, it is likely that it will not be properly maintained and will quickly fall by the wayside. It is wise as a media specialist to carefully choose the tools that will be useful to patrons and practical to maintain without taking on too many tasks.
If a media specialist finds that
a wiki is necessary and meets a specific need, it can be used in a variety of
ways, all of which champion collaboration.
Each use of the wiki discussed in the article 7 things you should know about wikis (2005, July) promote wikis as
a tool of collaboration. From informal
school groups to professional collaboration projects, wikis easily allow
sharing information in the form of documents, photographs, videos, and more. With this said, I very much enjoyed the wiki
published by Decatur High School Library (2013). I gleaned many ideas on summer reading titles
and assignments from perusing their wiki!
I am always looking for new ways to get students to connect with their reading.
The main
drawback to wikis results from its main strength: user-editing. Because many users can edit a single wiki,
the possibility of biased or inaccurate information exists. Writers for Educause Learning Initiative
(2005, July) acknowledge this possibility; “While, the potential
for mischief exists, wikis can be surprisingly robust, open-ended,
collaborative group sites.” For this reason, Fayette County does not
allow students to use Wikipedia as a research source. This limit, in my opinion, does not hinder
student-researchers. Wikipedia can still
be a useful resource for finding topical and more reliable sources on a
particular topic; the sources listed at the end of articles on Wikipedia are
often published by more esteemed organizations.
The most
important guideline in creating wikis is to maintain them so that information
is accurate. The Internet is
ever-evolving, and links must be regularly checked for dependability. Any wiki that a media center creates, whether
it is to share information with stakeholders or to help student-researchers through
a pathfinder, must be periodically examined for weaknesses. As long as this task is not overlooked, wikis
can hold a valuable place in any school library media program.
References:
Courtney, N., ed. (2007). Library 2.0 and beyond: Innovative
technologies and tomorrow’s user. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries
Unlimited.
Decatur High School Library. (2013). Retrieved
February 17, 2013, from http://dhs.wikispaces.com/
Educause Learning Initiative. (2005,
July). 7 things you should know about
wikis. Retrieved February 17, 2013, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf
I totally agree with the concept if it exists that does not mean you have to use it. As I work through this class and our cataloging class, I realized I have set up my Flickr account years ago and just never got around to using it. I also set up a WordPress account (about 5 years ago) only to find out in a staff development class when we had to set one up and it would not take my email address because it was in use.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of using a web space as a collaboration tool. We use the Extranet established through our school system, there we share multiple things with one of the most valuable being my Media Calendar. Teachers can go in and schedule a class (I use open scheduling) leaving me their name, grade, and what they want during their media time. It also has plenty of room in a drop down box where teachers can leave details about the lesson they want. The best feature is the alert it sends me each morning about any changes that have occurred on the calendar for any upcoming lessons. With all that said, the wiki would be a way students can communicate with media specialists, academic teams, Science Olympiad teams, or reading bowl teams. If the purpose of the wiki fills a need then I can see it being very useful. We established a Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl team this year for the first time (we are a new school) and a wiki would have been helpful as students and parents developed questions about each book they could post them on the wiki and all would be shared. Instead, we typed them up, copied and distributed them for five months.
I totally agree that we should jump on the technology bandwagon just because it will look good or because we are being pushed to incorporate more technology into our programs. Technology should have a purpose. I feel like technology should not hinder us, but aid us. It should not make our jobs more difficult and if it does, we should step back and reevaluate. The one idea I see over and over again for a Wiki is for collaboration purposes. I work in an elementary school and I would love to find more ways to use Wikis for that age group. There isn't a great deal of collaboration going on among students. Of course teachers could use the collaboration and I think Wikis for that purpose are a great idea. I do like madhall's idea for using a wiki in collaboration with the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl.
ReplyDeleteSabrina you brought up some excellent points in your post. While wikis could be great resources in classrooms as well as media centers, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have a place in ALL classrooms or media centers. Media specialists and teachers would need to assess whether the time and contributions to the wiki would be worth creating a wiki. Where I work, we created a wiki, but it is hardly ever updated, and I’m not even sure what information (that is relevant or updated) can be found on the wiki. Because this could be a commonality for teachers or media specialists, they would need to think about the way to use the wiki on a regular basis. Also, who would contribute to the wiki? Perhaps, if the media specialist didn’t see a need or use for a wiki for the entire media program, they may use one for a school sponsored book club or when compiling student feedback from new books in the media center.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the use of wikis in classroom research is a highly debated issue, but during one of my undergraduate classes I had to edit an incomplete Wikipedia page about a specific piece of literature. I now realize how difficult it is provide reliable information to source such as Wikipedia. All the information is reviewed and pulled down if it is incorrect. I do how some wikis may not be reliable, and I think students should view wikis (for any topic) as a starting point or a jumping off point.
A wiki in the media center does have it advantages and disadvantages. I do agree that a wiki can over crowd a wiki media center page and cause problems on the page. The advantage of a wiki in the media center is the media specialist can collaborate with the learning community on several issues without sending out paper notices by the students. The learning community can also create a wiki to share with the media specialist about their thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThe use of a wiki concerning collaboration is great. Students need to have time to brainstorming with their classmate on any topic. They need to be able to share new ideas and ways to help develop the project as a group.
A media specialist using a wiki for a book review is a great idea for middle and high schools students. These students should be encouraged to write their opinions about a book they have read and have it shown on a wiki so their peers could view the reviews. This idea could be a motivator for others to want to read these books.
Everyone implies that a wiki is great for collaboration. This information should be shared with Language Art teachers. A workshop at a professional learning meeting is a way for the media specialist to introduce this thought.
I agree, too, that media specialists should weigh all aspects of creating and maintaining a wiki before jumping into it. Since it enhances collaboration, perhaps the media specialist could survey others who might contribute to see if they too have adequate time to put into the wiki. It's not fun when a great idea like a wiki falls on the shoulders of just one or a few people to maintain it. It's important to have the buy-in of everyone or at least a majority of a group so that the wiki will not take an early slant or bias toward a particular perspective. Diverse opinions and view points are valuable to a good wiki to propel critical and creative thought.
ReplyDelete