A \u27uses and gratifications\u27 approach to understanding the role of wiki technology in enhancing teaching and learning outcomes

The use of the Wikis in both post-graduate and undergraduate teaching is rapidly increasing in popularity. Much of the research into the use of this technology has focused on the practical aspects of how the technology can be used and is yet to address why it is used, or in what way it enhances teaching and learning outcomes. A comparison of the key characteristics of the constructivist learning approach and Wikis suggests that Wikis could provide considerable support of this approach, however research into the motivations for using the technology is required so that good teaching practices may be applied to the use of Wikis when utilized in the higher education context. This study articulates a research design grounded in the Technology Mediated Learning (TML) paradigm that could be used to explore teachers and students’ motivations for using Wiki technology to enhance teaching and learning outcomes. Using the ‘Uses and Gratification’ approach, a popular technique used for understanding user motivation in technology adoption, a two-stage research design is set out. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for both information systems researchers and higher education

Investigating Pedagogical Value of Wiki Technology

This exploratory study investigates the potential of Wiki technology as a tool for teaching and learning. Wikis are a component of Web 2.0 technology tools that provide collaborative features and active learning opportunities in a web-based environment. This research study sought to empirically determine the pedagogical value of using Wiki technology in university courses. An instrument comprised of four constructs: Learning/Pedagogy, Motivation, Group Interaction, and Technology was developed and tested using reliability and validity as being capable of assessing student perceptions of value of Wiki technology. Hypotheses were tested to determine if factors such as age, gender, work experience, and web development experience influence students’ satisfaction with Wiki technology. Best practices for using Wikis in the classroom, student concerns, and lessons learned by the researchers when implementing Wikis for instruction are discussed in this study. The authors hope that understanding the use of Wiki technology will provide practitioners and researchers an opportunity to develop pedagogically effective Wiki learning environments

Participatory Transformations

Learning, in its many forms, from the classroom to independent study, is being transformed by new practices emerging around Internet use. Conversation, participation and community have become watchwords for the processes of learning promised by the Internet and accomplished via technologies such as bulletin boards, wikis, blogs, social software and repositories, devices such as laptops, cell phones and digital cameras, and infrastructures of internet connection, telephone, wireless and broadband. This chapter discusses the impact of emergent, participatory trends on education. In learning and teaching participatory trends harbinge a radical transformation in who learns from whom, where, under what circumstances, and for what and whose purpose. They bring changes in where we find information, who we learn from, how learning progresses, and how we contribute to our learning and the learning of others. These trends indicate a transformation to "ubiquitous learning" ??? a continuous anytime, anywhere, anyone contribution and retrieval of learning materials and advice on and through the Internet and its technologies, niches and social spaces.not peer reviewe

Using Participatory Media and Public Voice to Encourage Civic Engagement

Part of the Volume on Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth. Teaching young people how to use digital media to convey their public voices could connect youthful interest in identity exploration and social interaction with direct experiences of civic engagement. Learning to use blogs ("web logs," web pages that are regularly updated with links and opinion), wikis (web pages that non-programmers can edit easily), podcasts (digital radio productions distributed through the Internet), and digital video as media of self-expression, with an emphasis on "public voice," should be considered a pillar -- not just a component -- of twenty-first-century civic curriculum. Participatory media that enable young people to create as well as consume media are popular among high school and college students. Introducing the use of these media in the context of the public sphere is an appropriate intervention for educators because the rhetoric of democratic participation is not necessarily learnable by self-guided point-and-click experimentation. The participatory characteristics of online digital media are described, examples briefly cited, the connection between individual expression and public opinion discussed, and specific exercises for developing a public voice through blogs, wikis, and podcasts are suggested. A companion wiki provides an open-ended collection of resources for educators: https://www.socialtext.net/medialiteracy

Engaging students with mobile web2.0.

Abstract: Blogs, wikis, podcasting, and a host of free, easy to use web2.0 social software provide opportunities for creating social constructivist learning environments focusing upon student-centred learning and end-user content creation and sharing. Building on this foundation, mobile web2.0 has emerged as a viable teaching and learning environment, particularly with the advent of the iPhone (Nicknamed “the Jesus phone” (Goldman, 2007)) and iPod Touch. Today’s wifi enabled smartphones provide a ubiquitous connection to mobile web2.0 social software and the ability to view, create, edit and upload user generated web2.0 content. This paper outlines how mobile web2.0 technologies can be harnessed to enhance and engage students in a social constructivist learning environment. Examples of student and teaching staff feedback are drawn from several mobile learning trials that have been conducted at Unitec New Zealand. Additionally the presentation will involve mobile web2.0 demonstrations and facilitate a discussion around the practicalities of integrating and supporting mobile web2.0 within a tertiary course

Podcasts as a conversational pedagogy

The use of technology such as podcasts, social networking sites, wikis, and Google docs for communicating information which supports teaching and learning in tertiary institutions is well documented (Bates, 2005). These tools have been shown to enhance traditional lectures and tutorials (Salmon, 2007). Little attention, however, has been given to the use of conversational approaches when using these tools and their potential in developing alternative pedagogical approaches to teaching. This article examines the use of a conversational style podcast in an online pre-service early childhood teacher education programme. The podcasts were initially used to disseminate information and respond to the students’ needs, however, their conversational use revealed a number of unexpected outcomes. Analysis of the podcast conversations that occurred between the two lecturers, and the student feedback to these, were used to identify unexpected outcomes for students enrolled in the programme. These included the ‘humanising’ of the e-learning environment and the sense of community that emerged. This paper argues that the affordance of conversational podcasts personalises the e-learning environment, enhances students’ and lecturers’ motivation, and engenders a greater connectedness with the university context

Just Because You Can Tweet, It Doesn't Mean You Should.

This chapter seeks to examine the relationship between teaching, learning and new technology. In recent years there has been a significant increase in the amount of technological tools available to the teacher. These tools have facilitated new practices such as writing wikis, blogs, texting, social networking and now tweeting. These developments have taken place alongside the introduction of virtual learning environments (VLE). VLEs often attempt to replicate aspects of other social media, however it seems that both teachers and learners are supplementing their activities with tools that sit outside of these institutionally sanctioned environments. This chapter will explore a perceived gap in expectation and reality for both teachers and learners. The chapter further proposes to frame a larger debate on deterministic practices in HE with the question: Is there a 'technological push' or 'technological pull' policy being introduced in Higher Education, and what implications does that have for learning