Wiki applications
Intrigued by the potential of this Internet-oriented tool, I’ve gone exploring…I settled on wiki textbooks as an emphasis for the purpose of this rumination.
Thinking back to the introduction of online newspapers, I remember my negative reactions to the prediction they would take-off in readership. No way would I give up my daily morning dose of turning newsprint to discover the world’s current events! Well, life played out differently for me – though I still hold on to my Sunday newspaper, I let my fingers navigate through the online version of the local paper (and oftentimes, the Miami Herald and the New York Times – which I would not be buying in print!) the remaining six days of the week.
So can wikitextbooks be a viable alternative to the current paper textbooks adopted and used in our schools today? Can we morph from a linear resource to a hyper-text collaboration? As linked in our class presentation, there are some in existence (and presumably in use) already – as exemplified by the South African curriculum (physics – media wiki).
In the U.S., there is an emerging venture to use wikis for online textbooks in educational institutions. Education Bridges’ Wikitextbook Project is in the early stages of promoting wikitextbooks as online, free, accessible content which also involves the social construction of knowledge with students as active producers of knowledge (not passive recipients). In addition to “expert” links, there would be current information that would be fluid and collaborative. The obvious hurdles include: maintaining “authoritative” stance and preventing bad information; issues of social disparity and access; acceptance by teachers, parents, and School Boards.
There are a couple of very interesting podcasts that explore this initiative and there is also one scheduled for Wednesday, March 1st when they are planning a live wiki-building episode – join them at 8pm EST (Education Bridges)!
Though not a textbook, I’m impressed with Shelly’s vision for wiki application: wikibulletinboard!
Thinking back to the introduction of online newspapers, I remember my negative reactions to the prediction they would take-off in readership. No way would I give up my daily morning dose of turning newsprint to discover the world’s current events! Well, life played out differently for me – though I still hold on to my Sunday newspaper, I let my fingers navigate through the online version of the local paper (and oftentimes, the Miami Herald and the New York Times – which I would not be buying in print!) the remaining six days of the week.
So can wikitextbooks be a viable alternative to the current paper textbooks adopted and used in our schools today? Can we morph from a linear resource to a hyper-text collaboration? As linked in our class presentation, there are some in existence (and presumably in use) already – as exemplified by the South African curriculum (physics – media wiki).
In the U.S., there is an emerging venture to use wikis for online textbooks in educational institutions. Education Bridges’ Wikitextbook Project is in the early stages of promoting wikitextbooks as online, free, accessible content which also involves the social construction of knowledge with students as active producers of knowledge (not passive recipients). In addition to “expert” links, there would be current information that would be fluid and collaborative. The obvious hurdles include: maintaining “authoritative” stance and preventing bad information; issues of social disparity and access; acceptance by teachers, parents, and School Boards.
There are a couple of very interesting podcasts that explore this initiative and there is also one scheduled for Wednesday, March 1st when they are planning a live wiki-building episode – join them at 8pm EST (Education Bridges)!
Though not a textbook, I’m impressed with Shelly’s vision for wiki application: wikibulletinboard!
posted by M Coleman at
2/24/2006 05:13:00 PM
1 Comments:
I have to say I think wiki textbooks are a brilliant idea, as long as you have a limited authorship that is regulated to subject experts. One of my biggest issues with text books as a student was that they are always out of date. With a wiki they can be instantly updated to reflect the latest discoveries and world events. The other great thing about this is portability. Students on vacation no longer have to rely on hauling around copious amounts of heavy books as long as they have Internet access. Also the problem of forgetting a text book at home or at school is no longer a problem.
By
Jesse, at 3/06/2006 10:43 AM
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