Using Blogs, Wikis and Vokis in Schools

Let's say in my EPL School the students will be doing a unit on space during Term 2. All children could have their own blogs, their own Space E-Journal to which they add on a regular basis what they have learned; and they could include links of interesting websites, embed pictures, videos and vokis. Students could give one another feedback and more ideas.

At the same time students could work in small teams, each working on a different project about space, and set up a group wiki to which each group member is permitted to add. The wiki can contain images, videos and more. Students could also collaborate on a class wiki to which each team adds information about their topic thus creating a more comprehensive wiki.

Gifted and talented students with similar interest could collaborate in a wiki on a particular topic of common interest, and they can work on this in and out of class time.

I imagine children would have a lot of fun creating their own vokis and use them in their blogs to introduce sections or at the end to summarise, making those characters or animals talk. I invite you to press 'play' and hear my talking dog. I guess vokis could also be used for sound effects.

The reading 'Teacher Education and the New Knowledge Environment' by Heath (2001), in which he talks about two modes of knowledge, comes to mind. Heath sees Mode 1 knowledge as being attained through a more conventional, theoretical, authoritative way, and Mode 2 knowledge as a more practical, procedural approach. With these technologies students would have opportunities to engage in Mode 2 learning and encompass, as Heath puts it on page 4, "...multiple sites of knowledge production, multiple modes of knowledge and multiple means of its distribution."

Blogs, Wikis and Vokis

Creating this blog was interesting, but it took me a very long time, again and again clicking on all the tabs and figuring out how to use the different features.

I didn't find setting up an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) aggregator as difficult as understanding the concept of one. Anyway, I think I do understand it now: we can use an aggregator such as google reader to notify us of new postings in other blogs that are of interest to us rather than going into each blog separately, thus saving a lot of time. It sounds simple now that I 'got it'.

I didn't consciously know what the word wiki meant even though I have consulted wikipedia on many occasions. Creating my own wiki was fun, but again, it was a process that took me a few hours. I found the videos in http://www.wikispaces.com/site/tour with their clear instructions very helpful.

Please feel free to have a look at my wiki at http://spaceexploring.wikispaces.com/.

What is the difference between a blog and a wiki? This is how I understand it:

A blog is a personal online journal which is accessible by others who are able to give feedback.

A wiki is a collaboration tool that is accessible by many and can be added to by the ones who have permission.

I am just about to attempt to add my freshly created voki to my blog. I wonder if it works.

So Glad I Can Talk