| What are blogs and wikis? | Why use them? | Are blogs or wikis right for you? | What steps are involved? | Tips for getting started | Plan and check your blog or wiki activities | More resources |  

Your guide to blogs and wikis

More resources

What are blogs and wikis?

Why use them?

Are blogs or wikis right for you?

What steps are involved?

Tips for getting started

Plan and check activities

More resources

More resources

Links at del.icio.us

http://del.icio.us/newpractices/blog

http://del.icio.us/newpractices/wiki

At these del.icio.us sites you’ll find websites related to blogs and wikis.

Blog service providers

Blogger: https://www.blogger.com/start

Blogger is a popular and highly user-friendly service for starting a blog and networking with other bloggers around any area of interest.

WordPress: http://wordpress.com/

WordPress is another general and large blog community.

Edublogs: http://www.edublogs.org/

Edublogs is a large community of educational bloggers. Start a blog to contribute to this community, or read blogs by trainers and educators who are using blogs for learning.

Wiki service provider

Wikispaces: http://www.wikispaces.com/

Wikispaces is arguably the most popular wiki tool for use in teaching and learning due to its simplicity of use.

Downloadable engines

WordPress: http://WordPress.org/

You can use the WordPress blog hosting service or download WordPress to a server and host your own blog community.

MediaWiki: http://www.mediawiki.org

MediaWiki is the engine used by Wikipedia and is especially useful for managing image and multimedia files as well as text.

TiddlyWiki: http://www.tiddlywiki.org

With TiddlyWiki you can create your own personal wiki on your computer. The wiki is stored in a single file so you can also email it or copy it to a memory stick.

How do the tools work?

Mobile technology in TAFE wiki: http://aquaculturepda.wikispaces.com/

At this wiki you can find practical advice and tips for how to start using blogs and wikis.

Web 2.0 for teaching and learning: http://challengerelearning.wikispaces.com/

This is a wiki created by teachers at Challenger TAFE and is an excellent resource for looking up social software tools and how they work.

Learning 2.0: http://plcmclearning.blogspot.com/

The Learning 2.0 resource provides practical tutorials and useful websites for getting started with Web 2.0 tools including blogs, wikis, RSS feeds and podcasting.

CommonCraft: http://www.commoncraft.com

The CommonCraft website features a series of short videos that use plain English and simple concepts to explain how to use web-based tools including wikis, social bookmarking and RSS.

Uses in education

Designing e-learning – blogs: http://designing.flexiblelearning.net.au/gallery/activities/blogs.htm

Designing e-learning – wikis:

http://designing.flexiblelearning.net.au/gallery/activities/wikis.htm

See Designing e-learning for samples of blogs and wikis as well as over 50 other e-learning strategies or tools.

Using wiki in education: www.wikiineducation.com

At this wiki you can explore more ideas and strategies for using wikis. Under ‘Wiki Toolbox’ there are links to a range of web-based wiki tools available.

Wiki pedagogy: http://www.profetic.org/dossiers/article.php3?id_article=967

A comprehensive resource on using wikis for teaching and learning including practical advice for starting up wikis and guidelines for facilitating wiki activities. Use the left menu to browse topics or click on ‘Full text’ to print or view all the pages.

Blogs in education: http://courses.uhcl.edu/blog

Guide to using blogs in education: http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/blogonlineclass/index.htm

Blog etiquette and cyber safety

Draft bloggers code of conduct: http://radar.oreilly.com/2007/04/draft-bloggers-code-of-conduct.html

A blogger’s code of conduct: http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/000215.php

Are you cybersafe?: http://www.ctap4.org/cybersafety

Copyright

Copyright Kitchen: http://copyrightkitchen.flexiblelearning.net.au

Copyright Kitchen can help you to understand who owns what when publishing to the web as part of your professional work.

Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/license

Find out about ‘Creative Commons’ so you know what it means when you see content on the web licensed under Creative Commons. You can also use it to license your own material you publish to the web.

Smart Copying: http://www.smartcopying.edu.au

The Smart Copying website is a guide to copyright issues affecting Australian schools.

Students with special needs

Vision Australia: http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/

Web Accessibility Initiative: http://www.w3.org/WAI/

Professional networks

2007 e-learning Networks Community Forum: http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=40

An Australian-based network of e-learning practitioners.

Learning Times™ Australia: http://home.learningtimes.net/lta

A community of education and training professionals.

Australian Flexible Learning Framework: http://flexiblelearning.net.au

For updated information on Australian e-learning forums and online events, check the website of the Australian Flexible Learning Framework.

Edublogs: http://edublogs.org/

Edublogs is a large community of educational bloggers.

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Bibliography

The following sources have been used to compile the information in this guide.

Barnes, K., Marateo, R. and Ferris, S. (2007) ‘Teaching and learning with the net generation’, Innovate, 3, 4. http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=382, Date accessed 1/04/07.

Bartlett-Bragg, A. (2003) ‘Blogging to learn’, The Knowledge Tree e-journal, Edition 4, http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au, Date accessed 19/08/07.

Becta (2006) Emerging technologies for learning, Published by British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta), Available at http://publications.becta.org.uk

McNeil, M. and Stuckey, B. (2006) Emerging Practice in VTE Teaching and Learning with Technology, a report commissioned by TAFE NSW Online 2.

EngageMe – Blogs http://www.engageme.net/series2/blogs/blogs_1.htm, Date accessed 2/07/07.

Evans, V. (2007) ‘Networks, Connections and Community: Learning with social software’. Report commissioned by The Australian Flexible Learning Framework, available at http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/flx/go/pid/377

Ferris, S. and Wilder H. (2006) ‘Uses and potentials of wikis in the classroom’, Innovate, 2, 5. http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=258, Date accessed 12/06/07.

Fountain, R. (2005) ‘Wiki pedagogy’, http://profetic.org/dossiers/dossier_imprimer.php3?id_rubrique=110, Date accessed 2/07/07.

Fountain, R. (2007) Conceptual enhancement via textual plurality: a pedagogical wiki bow towards collaborative structuration (unplublished).

Ganley, B. (2006) bgblogging http://mt.middlebury.edu/middblogs/ganley/bgblogging/, Date accessed 2/07/07.

Mader, S. (2006) Using wiki in education – Ways to use Wiki in Education, http://www.wikiineducation.com/display/ikiw/Ways+to+use+wiki+in+education, Date accessed 2/07/07.

Siemens, G. (2006) Elearnspace http://www.elearnspace.org/, Date accessed 2/07/07.

Thompson, J. (2007) ‘Is Education 1.0 ready for Web 2.0 students?’, Innovate, 3, 4. http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=393, Date accessed 1/04/07.

The University of Houston Clear Lake (Date unknown) Blogs in Education, http://awd.cl.uh.edu/blog, Date accessed 27/06/07.

Wilber, D. (2007) ‘My Literacies: understanding the Net Generation through Live Journals and Literacy Practices’, Innovate, 3, 4. http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=384, Date accessed 1/04/07.

Interview with Andrew Kidd, recorded 3 August 2007

Interview with Rosa Ochoa, recorded 3 August 2007

Interview with Lynn Gibb, recorded 13 August 2007

Interview with Lud Allen, recorded 13 August 2007

Interview with David Bartolo, recorded 20 August 2007

Interview with Colleen Hodgins, recorded 27 August 2007

Interview with Glen Campbell, recorded 5 September 2007

Interview with Michelle Dodd, recorded 19 September 2007

Interview with Gary Lienert, recorded 19 September 2007

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