Annotated Bib. Part 2

Here is a list of my second set of sources for my wiki research:

Bold, Mary. "Use of Wikis in Graduate Course Work." Journal of Interactive Learning Research 17 (2006): 5-14.
This article offers an understanding of how wikis can be used in the classroom. In this particular context, the focus is on the use of educational wikis for an online Master’s program at Texas Woman’s University. The article brings up important concerns about the current state of distance education in that there is still a lack of emphasis on collaborative learning in an online environment. This article aims to highlight how an online degree program can utilize the concepts of collaborative learning more and rely less on curriculum delivery of information.

Faigley, Lester. "Nonacademic Writing: the Social Perspective." Professional Writing and Rhetoric. Comp. Tim Peeples. New York: Addison Wesley Educational, Inc., 2003. 47-60.
Though wikis are not specifically referenced in this chapter of “Professional Writing and Rhetoric” the core ideas Faigley discusses are applicable to the concepts driving the popularity of online educational tools like wikis. Faigley places a heavy emphasis and examination on social perspectives in writing and adds to the idea that knowledge is shared and created. The term social in writing applies to wikis as students are able to contribute and share knowledge in a public, purposeful way.

Godwin-Jones, Robert. "Blogs and Wikis: Environments for on-Line Collaboration." Language Learning and Technology 7 (2003): 12-16.
This article provides an examination into how blogs and wikis can be used for collaborative purposes. Beyond listing various information about blogs, wikis and RSS one of the more helpful aspects of this piece is the end in which Godwin-Jones provides a comprehensive lists of links. Though the links offer extended information on blogs and RSS the links on wikis were especially helpful because he guides the reader to sites on how to create a wiki, additional information about wikis, and an example of a wiki used for educational purposes.

Gokhale, Anuradha A. "Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking." Journal of Technology Education 7 (1995): 22-30.
A case study conducted with undergraduate students at Western Illinois University, “Collaborative Learning…” provides fundamental properties of collaborative learning with a primary emphasis on critical thinking. The study consisted of two groups of students, one that worked independently and one that worked collaboratively. The results suggest that the learners who worked together harbored a higher level of critical thinking. This article provides a useful foundation of what collaborative learning means and what benefits students may receive through working together toward a shared goal.

McKay, Martha. "One Million to Put Heads Together to Write, Edit Business Book." Global News Wire 17 Nov. 2006. LexisNexis Academic. Halle Library, Ypsilanti. 3 Apr. 2007. Keyword: Wikis.
This article published online describes a recent project by a book publishing company who are aiming to create one of the biggest collaborative projects yet to date. The group is creating a book titled “We Are Smarter Than Me” in which a goal of one million participants are requested to help author the book. The content of the book focuses on current technology uses such as social networks, blogs and wikis and will eventually be published online. The concept behind this project creates many parallel questions about how something similar to this could happen within an educational system. Questions such as would it be possible to have students using wikis to communicate across schools, colleges, grades, etc.? Could students be sharing and creating knowledge with other students around the globe? The fact that such a book can be created with thousands of participants emphasizes the future of technological impacts on life and certainly creates more questions and discussions about how schools can take advantage of such changes lending wikis as one tool to do so.

Richards, Merle, Anne Elliott, Vera Woloshyn, and Coral Mitchell. Collaboration Uncovered. Westport: Bergin & Garvey, 2001.
In this book solely about collaborative learning, the author’s cover a wide range of issues central to collaboration. Some topics that are covered are negotiation in collaboration from what it is to how to create it. Additionally, cultural issues are addressed in terms of collaboration and a distinction is made between cooperative and collaborative learning. Other areas of the book examine if collaboration is possible within the classroom and how it may help in professional development. Overall, this book provides a large and extensive background on important issues surrounding collaborative learning and offers thinking points for what to consider in trying reformulating a classroom to be conducive to collaborative purposes.

Sorensen, Elsebeth K., and Eugene S. Takle. "Collaborative Knowledge Building in Web-Based Learning: Assessing the Quality of Dialogue." The International Journal of E-Learning (2002). 3 Apr. 2007 .
Sorensen and Takle take an interesting approach to the topic of collaborative learning by exploring and assessing the quality of dialogue that is produced during collaborative activities. The premise of this article focuses on a web-based course though much of the information can extend to the use of wikis. For example, what type of dialogue exists in collaborative wikis in the classroom? What counts as dialogue? What type of dialogue is expected and how much? Does the quality of dialogue impact the results of collaborative learning? I had not considered how dialogue may contribute or hinder the collaborative efforts on a wiki space and this article helped place into context for me that dialogue is one of the key issues in an online space of collaboration, particularly when the dialogue is assessed in an educational environment.

Wagner, Christian. "Wiki: a Technology for Conversational Knowledge Management and Group Collaboration." Communications of the Associations for Information Systems 13 (2004): 265-289.
This article’s focus is primarily in the work force and how wikis can enable businesses to better operate open lines of communication through the use of wikis. Despite wikis being a recently accepted notion in the business world, there still seems to be resistance in terms of using wikis for educational purposes. Though highlighting the professional angle of wikis, this article raises important questions about the value, results and overall performance of wiki use. Specifically, the article encourages wikis because they promote conversational knowledge in which sharing and creating knowledge is the core purpose. Similarly, this is how wikis have been used in the classroom and is a continuing argument for why wikis should be adopted into the classroom more. If successful businesses are benefiting from the use of wikis, why can’t similar ideas and usage be transformed and reshaped into the classroom? The convincing benefits of wikis outlined in this article suggest that they can.

Warschauer, Mark. "Computer-Mediated Collaborative Learning: Theory and Practice." The Modern Language Journal 81 (1997): 470-481. JSTOR. Halle Library, Ypsilanti. 3 Apr. 2007. Keyword: collaborative learning.
Though this article is dated ten years ago, I chose to include it as part of my research because of the extensive conceptual framework Warschauer lays out. He covers the history of collaboration and cooperative communication in the classroom, narrowing in on Krashen’s Input Hypothesis and places a large emphasis on Vygotsky’s work. Though much of what Vygotsky published was in the 1960s, he provides one of the early voices in the field concerning collaboration. Beyond providing a groundwork of theory about collaborative learning, this article also addresses computer-mediated collaborative learning. Interesting to note is that although this article was written ten years ago, many of the arguments about how to use collaboration with technology still resonates today. This article is an excellent reference if seeking a historical and theoretical background on collaborative learning.

Wei, Carolyn, Brandon Maust, Jennifer Barrick, Elisabeth Cuddihy, and Jan H. Spyridakis. "Wikis for Supporting Distributed Collaborative Writing." Tools and Technology (2005): 204-209.
This article covers basic information about wikis, provides advantages and disadvantages of using wikis for collaborative purposes then addresses the impact wikis may have on information design. Many wikis can be created in a matter of seconds, with little thought of design, lay out and no real underlying visual purpose. For these reasons, the article addresses information design and questions how wikis may influence design processes. Wikis are now created by anyone, anywhere and are no longer limited to a technical communicator with design training and experience. Important questions stemming from this reading that may influence my final project are: Does design matter in an educational wiki? How much emphasis should be placed on design? How does information design impact the overall effectiveness of collaborative learning? And finally, how will design influence my final presentation of this project as it will be in wiki format?