Creating Classroom Collaborations Via Wikis

In our 21st century world, everything is becoming more and more technological and distance-oriented, for better or for worse. After all, as we are constantly reminded, we live in an increasingly flat world in which information is immediate and overwhelming. Gone are the days in which a six-month-old newspaper was the newest information an American settler could get. Gone are the days in which education was rare and a rudimentary knowledge of the three R's was as much as a student could reasonably hope to achieve before boing to operate a farm or raise a family. In the 21st century, pretty much the only way to have any hope of future reliable employment is to get a good education and to be fluent with technology. One method of technological collaboration that facilitates communication over distances is in wikis, which are online documents that multiple people can view and edit.

For one course assignment this semester, my class has been assigned the task of creating wiki pages to learn more about using 21st century technology. This has been extremely useful because, first of all, the course is operated over large distances. For example, I am at least an hour and twenty minutes away from any of the other classes. This is not necessarily an insurmountable distance, but given that I rarely travel to any of the cities in which my fellow classmates live and learn, I have found that real-time interaction--or, indeed, interaction of any sort--is often difficult because we don't really have a personal relationship. Seeing someone's face on a screen for perhaps 15 seconds at a time while they speak really is not at all conducive to getting to know one's classmates. However, we make do with what we have, and it is still possible to learn and even thrive in such a classroom.

For those assignments which require collaboration, though, spaces such as wikis are profoundly valuable. From past courses, I have found that email is highly inefficient; they take a long time, there can be overlap, and conversations are rather formal and sometimes forced. After all, if you have to communicate everything you can think of that might be relevant at a time, the result might be a 2-page essay in which the tone is likely fairly stiff--after all, we all want to impress our peers, don't we? ;)

Accessible on Flickr.com
"Wiki Collaboration Leads to Happiness" (found on Ron Mader's page)
Originally created by Manny Wilson
https://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/2374851532

The solution I found in those past classes was on Canvas Collaborations, which was a medium for real-time conversation. In Collaborations (that is, Etherpad), I and my classmate(s) were able to converse as quickly and as fluidly as we could type. Several people could type at once, and it was easy to write and respond to queries and thought. The conversations could also be saved and resumed at any time, which meant that everything was available at any time. I still think that this is an enormously valuable tool, but it can be a bit of a pain to set up since you presumably have to download it onto your computer if your college does not provide free online access to it.

A close cousin to Etherpad is the wiki, which, as I mentioned before, is something that I have been asked to experiment with for a class. From what I have seen so far, a wiki is relatively simple to set up...initially. It can be a bit difficult to make it so that the intended audience can actually access it.

A wiki such as those created by Wikispaces looks a bit like a blog--not as fancy/personalized as this one, but still functional. It can be used for assignments and requires a specific login as well as a Join Code, which is nice because it is specific and secure. This means that teachers (or librarians) can create wikis for assignments and collaborative works, whether these collaborations may be created for professionals or for students. They do not require the members to participate at the same time, either. In fact, it seems as if it is impossible for members to participate at the same time, since edits must be written and then saved. This means that any time that people attempt to work at the same time, there might be a confusing overlap or failure of the editing. They also cannot see one another's' work at the same time.

This is, in fact, one area in which I prefer another wiki-like program which I may have mentioned earlier which may be edited and added to in real time. This is useful because members have the option of holding a real-time, genuine conversation even while they have the option of adding or editing at different times. To be honest, this is a personal preference, but while both wikis and lesser-known technologies have their uses, I prefer technologies such as Etherpad because they allow members to hold more genuine communication.


Accessible on Flickr.com at http://flickr.com/photos/slava/496607907/

 



Beauty and the Beast: A Librarian's Fantasy

My favorite Disney film has always been Beauty and the Beast. Always. It has been since the very first time I saw its incredible opening. I don't think I can even forget the misty, mysterious music that reminds me of a waterfall, and what a marvelous opening landscape! And the stained glass was an inspired touch--the classic (and classy) version of stop-motion, near-minimalist storytelling. In my opinion, those moments sum up a perfect opening scene.

Yet for all the perfection of the movie's introduction, there are two things from the story itself that always left a deep impression on me: the bookstore and the Beast's library. Yes, even as a grade schooler, I always adored those enticing bookshelves and could perfectly sympathize with Belle's fixation on that one perfect book that the bookseller finally gave her. That is actually why Belle has always been my favorite Disney princess. I've never been a huge princessy girl, but the idea of the book-loving girl from a "poor provincial town" who was swept up into an adventure straight out of her favorite fairy tales always caught my imagination.

Photographed by Jason Mrachina and retrieved from Flickr.com
Law Library-Iowa State Capitol

And what was one of the major revelations of the Beast's goodness? I don't know about you, but, aside from the famous ballroom scene, I was always captivated by the Beast's gift of a library. A magnificent library. A glorious, dazzling library with more books than Belle could ever read. In other words, a paradise. And the picture that I have right here is just about the most perfect image of the Beast's library in the real world that I can find--huge, glorious, lit up with chandeliers and towering windows, and furnished with spiraling staircases and latticed balconies. I'd love to find a nook to read here, as long as it were in a corner somewhere. True, it's somewhat pretentious and a bit too fancy in some ways, but I can't help but love the look of it! And it is, fittingly enough, a law library. The Iowa State Capital Law Library, to be exact. I love novels, but this is a place of learning.

However, the fact that it is so pretentious yet simultaneously inviting to me does suggest something about the nature of libraries. Notice the progression of Belle's growth. She didn't immediately start at this big fancy library (which undoubtedly would have intimidated her were it in her hometown from the beginning); rather, she began the story at a bookseller with limited numbers of books. Presumably she learned to love books and stories and learning one humble book at a time. Perhaps she started reading one of her father's books about mechanics and inventions or something like that. It was only when she was older--to whatever age she is in the story--that her hunger for learning and stories grew insatiable. She read and reread the same books, partly out of a love for those stories, but also because she had nothing else; she came into the shop often to ask if anything new had come in (remember that scene?). Yet I want to emphasize again that she had to learn to enjoy one book at a time and to learn about the pleasure of learning almost in bits and pieces. I propose that had she entered the Beast's library at a much younger age, she would have been overwhelmed, intimidated, and scared off because there were too many books.

The reason I wonder about this is because of the current situations in schools in which children do not read. There are multitudes of reasons for not reading, I am sure, but among them are the following: too much homework, the demands of social life, extracurricular activities and sports, friends, the social stigma of being a nerd, and the fear of being too stupid. Reading is often seen either as a smart or an uncool activity. I don't know if there is much of an in between status. Kids tend to fall into three categories, I guess: (1) They are the readers, (2) They feel like they have not earned reading status, or (3) They have different priorities/fear social repercussions. I could be wrong, but that is the impression I have gotten.

It makes me wonder how we are structuring our school libraries, though. Are we designing our libraries specifically for those who feel that they aren't smart enough to read, can't read, or would lose social status if they read? Are we designing our school libraries like the Beast's opulent library or like the humble, inviting bookshop? Is there a way to change the bookshop style so that readers don't seem "odd," "peculiar," or "funny"? I don't know the answer to this exactly, but in one of my English Teaching classes, I studied Kelly Gallagher's teaching style, and he wrote something that really struck me. He said that we as English teachers should not use the "Grecian Urn" approach, by which he meant that we as teachers should not exude an air of perfection. We should not show our students flawless models--that just scares them off. It is better to work alongside them and show them how to write, starting at the messy brainstorming and working all the way to a refined piece of writing.



Photographed by buskfyb and retrieved at Flickr.com
Sittegruppe i Røyken vgs. skolebibliotek

I propose that we adopt Kelly Gallagher's methods for school libraries as well. As librarians or librarians-in-training, we also are teachers. Our students are all of the students in the school, and they do not need their first image of a good library to be like the Beast's library or the Iowa law library. Those are beautiful and valuable and precious, but students need to have personal experience with smaller, more relevant, and friendly libraries. It is only after students learn that books and learning are precious for them personally that they can see the Beast's library not only with awe but with delight and eagerness. And if we can show them a way to be involved without sacrificing their other interests, our school libraries will flourish as well.

The 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful English Majors*: A Continuation of the Habits Discussion

*Correction from the Editor: Grammar Nazi Nerd People with whom it is Impossible to Live

Habit 1: Read everything.

Read the syllabus. Read it again. Pore through it. Investigate the syllabus not only for sense and due dates but for grammatical clarity. Read every assigned reading, investing yourself fully in the topic for better understanding. If you are feeling ambitious, read the extra reading. If you don’t care about sleep, look up extra readings on your own online, in databases, and at the library. Your favorite hobbies should include reading. It doesn’t matter what you read—you can read comic books, graphic novels, essays, newspaper articles, journal articles, blogs, novels, nonfiction books, children’s books, anything with a medal attached to it, and so on and so forth. The main rule of thumb is the more [books you read], the merrier [you and your professors will be]! Also buy books on a regular basis.

Habit 2: Highlight and make extensive notes on everything.

Mark on the syllabus with pencils, pens, and highlighters. Write in your textbook(s) with the same. Invest in sticky notes, notebooks, notecards, pencils, erasers, pens, fine-tip Sharpies, legal pads, copy paper, mini-notebooks, and those little note pads that are kind of like large sticky notes without the stickiness. Use all of these tools regularly.  

Habit 3: Carry the above tools and a book with you at all times. No Exceptions.

If you are a woman, buy an extra-large purse/bag and a pencil case so that you can carry one or two books, twenty pencils, a pad of paper, sticky notes, a highlighter, two pens, and two Sharpies at all times in case of emergencies. Men, you may have to be more creative. Maybe stick five pens in your pocket and secrete other tools in your jacket as needed. Briefcases are also a viable option.

Habit 4: Write in your spare time.

What spare time? Oh, that spare time—right between my spare tire and that unexplained lime in the back seat. Anyway, write in your journal. Write book reviews. Write blog posts. Write analytical essays for fun. Doodle in your notebook. Jot down notes about anything and everything. Scribble ideas for the Great American Novel on a sticky note (refer to Habits 2 and 3). Write on your calendar. Write in the margins of the textbook/article/novel that you are currently reading. Write lengthy posts on Facebook. Tweet smaller posts on Twitter. Write.

Habit 5: Study grammar devotedly and become an expert.

Become an expert on comma usage. Develop a firm and unyielding opinion about the Oxford Comma and The Comma That Must Not Be Named. Make a vow in a dark room at midnight with a ring of candles around you that you will wage war on the dreaded comma splice until it is eradicated from the face of the earth. Understand the correct usage of the sentence fragment (hahahaha!). Read Eats, Shoots and Leaves and recommend it to all of your friends, family, acquaintances, and enemies.

Habit 6: Obsessively analyze everything.

It doesn’t matter if it is a professionally made video, a published book, a journal article, a YouTube video, a newspaper post, or a blog. No matter how you experience something, always analyze it. Is it well researched? Is it well written/produced? If it is a movie, how well does it follow the book and where does it deviate? Are the deviations bad or good? (Answer: Deviations should almost always be expunged from your memory.) How is it organized? If it is written, does the author ever use alliteration, assonance, figures of speech, or other literary devices? If it is a song, what is the rhyme scheme and how well does it fit? What meter and rhythm is the poem or song? What sort of rhyme does the song/poem use?

Habit 7: Study logic, Greek, and Latin.

Logic is an essential tool for everyone, but if you are an English major, all of your essays will demand at least a smidgen of logical thought. You can get relatively short logic courses and take them on your own to get ahead! (If you studied grammar on your own, you can study logic on your own.) As far as Greek and Latin go, if you don’t want to learn the languages, at least learn some of the root words. If you are feeling ambitious, also study some of the other languages that are related to English.

Habit 7.5: Appreciate puns and wordplay.

All wordplay, if done in good taste, is hilarious. This is true almost without exception. Furthermore, the best games are word games. Such games include Scrabble, Boggle, crossword puzzles, Scrabble Slam, Pathwords, Word Search, and related games.

Learning 2.0.1: The 7.5 Steps to Getting Your Life Together and Becoming a Good Lifelong Learner!

We are in the middle of an information age. I just read the other day that there are an estimated 100,000,000 (100 million) blogs in existence, and I just added a new one. People today suffer from content overload—in fact, I wonder if this is why it is harder to get an education by oneself. It’s certainly possible to become educated by oneself, but with all of the good information, the bad and possibly misleading education, the poorly done blogs, and the multitudes of news sites, it is hard to know how to find the right information. I think that that is why a lot of people just stay on social media websites like Facebook; shared articles and videos can admittedly be a good source of news and information sometimes.

Because of the overwhelming glut of information in the cyber-universe, it can be a good idea to get a handle on some good habits for lifelong learning. For instance, Lori Reed has created an interesting list of 7 1/2 Lifelong Learning Habits. I encourage you to go straight to the primary document to make sure that I’m not messing this up horribly. Even trusted news sources can be guilty of twisting stories to their own advantage, and I’m not a trusted news source! Anyway, a good first lifelong learning habit…or 8 ½’th learning habit…or…anyway, a good habit of all lifelong learners is to get the facts. Look up the original sources. If something was originally in Greek or French or Chinese, try to find someone who can help you translate it directly—or, time permitting, learn the language and translate it yourself. If you want to actually learn something, go out and learn it, look at many different perspectives, and weigh them respectively. (But take a good logic course first, please!)

Anyway. Tangent. Getting back on track! Below, I will list the 7 ½ good habits of lifelong learners that Lori Reed has come up with and will compare myself with them. Not that you necessarily care about me, but here goes!

Habit 1: Begin with the end in mind.

Back when I was in middle school, I desperately wanted to be a librarian. That was my goal. I really, really, really wanted to be a librarian. I even figured out that I wanted to get my Master’s Degree in Library Science! However, when I worked at the library when I was sixteen, it was kind of fun, but all of a sudden I wasn’t so sure about becoming a librarian for the rest of my life. Of course, some of my lost enthusiasm may have been because I did hours and hours and hours of shelving nasty adult books and shelf-reading the nonfiction section. I was still reading lots, though, even keeping a book log from 2008-2011. I also took a Newbery class for a high school elective.

By the time I entered college, I was sure I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I was going to be…an editor! Yes! Shiny flashing signs illuminated my future! I knew what I wanted to do and I knew that I would do anything to get there. That continued through last year. But today, I’m not so sure. I’m now working toward an English major with a minor in School Library Media, but there’s a little [*cough* A LOT *cough*) more hesitation. But the cool thing is that I think I’m getting closer to knowing where I should be going. After all, it’s beginning with the end in mind that’s important, not ending with the beginning in mind.

Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning.

There are two major ways to take courses: online and in person. I have been most familiar with the former, because my entire high school experience and the majority of my college experience so far has been with online or distance learning. Naturally, I have had many excellent teachers, the first of whom were my fabulous parents, who homeschooled me all the way until high school and then helped me through the flaming obstacle course of death that was Seton. (A good flaming obstacle course of death as far as education is concerned, but a flaming obstacle course of death all the same.)

The main thing I learned through those years, though, was that self-motivated learning is probably the most efficient and most effective way to learn. Am I perfect? Heck no. I would much rather read a gripping novel than slog through my textbooks. I would rather write a book review or play Monopoly than write an essay on the symbolism of windows in Jane Eyre. However, it turns out that it is often immeasurably satisfying to write the essay, as painful as it may be, and learn something from it about life and literature, than to do something mindless. Plus, instant gratification is just that—instant and fleeting. There is nothing lasting about short-term gratification. Sure, it can be used for motivation and relaxation when things get slow (refer to step 7 ½), but a steady diet of instant macaroni and cheese doesn’t really cut it.

In other words, being in charge of your own learning means recognizing the value of things that take a lot of effort. It means that you have to be willing to make an effort for the things that matter. I don’t really practice what I preach very well, but maybe by taking even more distance and online courses that require me to motivate myself to get the grade will force me to grow up someday. Here’s to the long-term gratification that is college!

Habit 3: View problems as challenges.

Refer to Habit 2. (Why do two steps when you can do one that combines the two? That’s why compound words exist, after all. We can learn philosophy from the English language…then again, maybe not. LOL.)

Habit 4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.

Well, I guess I feel pretty confident that I can learn pretty effectively…except when I have to learn about computers, cars, science, really new technologies, woodworking, welding, running or anything to do with physical coordination, sleight of hand, new musical instruments, . . . .

Habit 5: Create a learning toolbox.

Still working on this one, but I have a few things I always go to when I am about to learn something. I’m a visual learner; I have to see things in order to retain them. If you just say something to me, chances are that I will forget it in 3 seconds. Try calling me at the grocery store and asking me to get just one more thing. If I don’t write it down—oops! If you show something to me, though—say, a picture or a word or a page or whatever, I am more likely to remember it. I’m also only a kinesthetic learner if drawing and writing count as learning kinesthetically. If my mom asks me to help her design a quilt border, I have to draw out my ideas or else I am absolutely useless. I have to write out checklists and calendars for everything. I have separate calendars and checklists for my month-to-month existence, my weekly class assignments, my regular weekly teaching schedule, and finals week(s). No, that’s not a good thing. Yes, it is the way I live and learn. I guess I’ll have to deal with it or change somehow.

Habit 6: Use technology to your advantage.  

I am usually pretty good at this. I do what I have to with what I have, and technology works well. The major pitfall is that I can get distracted easily by technology and often lose sight of what I really wanted/needed to do with it.

Habit 7: Teach and/or mentor others.

This is one I am pretty bad at. Why? I don't teach what I learn in class to a lot of people. I do, however, sometimes discuss what I learn in class with my family. It's not teaching or mentoring, exactly, but it is discussing what I'm learning and asking questions about what they know.

Habit 7 ½: Play!

Whee! This is the best part of learning! Take a break after learning and sleep or play! Science has proven that cramming doesn’t really do anything because you don’t give your brain a rest to organize everything. If you sleep after studying, however…

To be honest, I play too much. No fear of “All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy” for me! Ideally, I would be playing with the stuff I learn more. Instead, I do completely unrelated, mind-numbing things that probably erase everything good I just learned. So I have some work to do.