CITRENZ 2010:MediaWiki case study

Overview

 * virtualMe - Action research cycle 4:Research question
 * ""Can a wiki /blog be used to support a variety of education pedagogies appropriate to blended learning?”.
 * To provide a tool to answer this a wiki and blog were installed and have been used to support teaching and learning content.

Case study
Implementing an education focused wiki can be broken down into three parts
 * 1) Hosting
 * 2) Content construction
 * 3) Content delivery



Hosting using private MediaWiki because ...

 * Extensive use (Wikipedia)
 * Used by WikiEducator, Wikiversity, Wikibooks.
 * The software is Open Source.
 * Has an active extension community continually adding new functionality.
 * Supports a wide variety of multimedia types
 * Has the capability to be extended (e.g. add YouTube and Flickr functionality).
 * Enables the researcher to offer an informed contribution to the existing wiki communities.
 * Can be installed on a private host, enabling the researcher to gain an understanding of the technology underpinning the wiki.

Example page

 * HTML/XHTML:CSS format - Different hyperlink colors on same page. Look for...
 * Templates (Header (Navigation), Objectives (Pedagogy), Footer(References, APA page reference, Zotero))
 * Extensions (GesHI - Software code formatting (syntax highlighter) CSS/HTML)
 * JavaScript (press Pause/Break to hide navigation/tool bar)

2.2 Un-structured content construction: blog

 * EduBlogs – advertisements, no mobile support
 * WordPress.com – no google analytics (has own stats)
 * Private?

Example page

 * http://virtualmv.wordpress.com/

3.1 Behaviourist/cognitive

 * This includes self paced and individual study, enhanced by the “cognitive revolution” and includes: chunking, cognitive load, working memory, multimedia effect
 * Content is the primary driver (Both wiki and blog suitable)
 * Examples
 * Lecture (e.g. Internet:Email )
 * Learning task (e.g. HTML/XHTML:Linking_pages )

3.2 Constructivist

 * center on socially constructed knowledge
 * the process of knowledge acquisition is what is important
 * Examples
 * Interactive help desk (e.g. JavaScript:Interactive_Help_Desk )
 * Quiz (e.g. Internet:Multiple_choice_questions )

3.3 Connectivist

 * focus on networks, that are based on a shared common interest, are mostly self organising and learning can take place beyond the course
 * Examples
 * Twitter feed, Google docs (presentation), YouTube, SlideShare, etc..
 * (e.g.s. virtualMVwiki Home page ( Main_Page ), CITRENZ Home page ( CITRENZ_2010) )

Summary

 * Display in lecture
 * Text size + Zoom-it
 * Specialised code (link to external pages)
 * Connected media
 * Videos (Embed YouTube)
 * Presentations
 * PowerPoints (slideshare)
 * (public) Google presentation
 * User discussion
 * Twitter hash tag
 * Annotations
 * Amend actual pages
 * Threaded discussion plus consolidated page discussion
 * Student knowledge construction
 * Create own sub-wikis off user name

(those in italics added since paper written)