1. Fair assessment. Peer editing is one big advantage of wiki, which means it is easy for you to edit other's work and yours will be easily edited as well. This may cause a problem for teacher to assess the contribution of individual learner, since their contribution may be changed or erased.
2. Timely feedback. Since wiki is a new tech applied in my class, teacher's involvment and encouragement are rather necessary in order to smooth over students' recoginition of wiki's role. However, this may prove to be a tough mission as we normally have 50 students in one class and we are teaching 2-3 classes in the same term. If I attempt to organize the blocks and give comment, I may have to skip all meals.
3. I am thinking about the third problem, coming soon!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The "fitness" of applying wiki in my thesis writing class
Even for English majors, writing a thesis in English may still seem too big a project, for it involves much research work, reading, drafting, writing, revising, polishing, and even proofreading. Since thesis writing is both a required and necessary skill for language majors, to get this done, I always suggest my students to take group work in the process of preparing for a thesis, through which students can realize a smooth immersion into the role of researcher instead of being resistant to all these boring loads of work ahead.
My usual practice is to ask students individually choose an area they are interested in, like literature (may be more clearly defined as English literature, American literature), culture (including food culture, architecture, comparison and contrast between eastern and western culture), teaching pedagogy, translation. All these categories may be classified even more subtly depending on the specific field students propose as an interest. After I generally weigh the value of those fields, I will ask my students to find those whose chosen field is the same as theirs and form a group based on a common interest. Usually the group will be around 5-7 students. With this size, I aim to avoid laziness of some students who depend on other members of too big a team and realize qualified brainstorming within a group of certain quantity. Then students in groups talk about the feasibility of their specific area while the teacher gives necessary advice. Once the field is decided, students themselves and the teacher will collaboratively make a reading list as well as websites for information retrieval, followed by outlining, drafting, revising and the other steps till the completion of a thesis. All through this process, students in each group are assigned a division of the whole workload. Since the focus of this blog is about the application of wiki, I won't go into further details of normal process with thesis writing.
Then let me talk about the set-in of wiki in this thesis writing process. Wiki may be tuned in at the very early stage of selecting a field of research, with students give each other necessary suggestions and recommend related books or web links, since they have similar learning background and their ideas may contribute a lot or provide a different perspective of the person who initially thinks of the topic. Usually students favor to communicate with a set of close friends, which can possibly confine their thinking. In this sense, wiki can help to widen the lens and maximize the amount of information, for it gives a stage of contributing and sharing among all learners of the class. We all know, once the destination is settled, the route will be clearer and easier. Then on this path of writing the thesis, students can set up blocks of their theme and notify every member of the group about the development of their part, while other groups are encouraged to offer advice and make contribution as well. If any part proves diversion from the trunk, within a short while, it might be corrected before going too far as many minds are attentive to this process. I myself have had such experience and know well how frustrated you will be when a certain step is mistakenly made and caused the whole building collapse. Wiki then can be and is a great help in realizing a more efficient work. Once the topic selection and drafting are completed, revising and proofreading may be much better facilitated, since wiki opens a channel for open-editing.
In short, if wiki can be designed to fit into the setting of the course and the pedagogical pattern, it can indeed prove to be an easy creation of big work.
My usual practice is to ask students individually choose an area they are interested in, like literature (may be more clearly defined as English literature, American literature), culture (including food culture, architecture, comparison and contrast between eastern and western culture), teaching pedagogy, translation. All these categories may be classified even more subtly depending on the specific field students propose as an interest. After I generally weigh the value of those fields, I will ask my students to find those whose chosen field is the same as theirs and form a group based on a common interest. Usually the group will be around 5-7 students. With this size, I aim to avoid laziness of some students who depend on other members of too big a team and realize qualified brainstorming within a group of certain quantity. Then students in groups talk about the feasibility of their specific area while the teacher gives necessary advice. Once the field is decided, students themselves and the teacher will collaboratively make a reading list as well as websites for information retrieval, followed by outlining, drafting, revising and the other steps till the completion of a thesis. All through this process, students in each group are assigned a division of the whole workload. Since the focus of this blog is about the application of wiki, I won't go into further details of normal process with thesis writing.
Then let me talk about the set-in of wiki in this thesis writing process. Wiki may be tuned in at the very early stage of selecting a field of research, with students give each other necessary suggestions and recommend related books or web links, since they have similar learning background and their ideas may contribute a lot or provide a different perspective of the person who initially thinks of the topic. Usually students favor to communicate with a set of close friends, which can possibly confine their thinking. In this sense, wiki can help to widen the lens and maximize the amount of information, for it gives a stage of contributing and sharing among all learners of the class. We all know, once the destination is settled, the route will be clearer and easier. Then on this path of writing the thesis, students can set up blocks of their theme and notify every member of the group about the development of their part, while other groups are encouraged to offer advice and make contribution as well. If any part proves diversion from the trunk, within a short while, it might be corrected before going too far as many minds are attentive to this process. I myself have had such experience and know well how frustrated you will be when a certain step is mistakenly made and caused the whole building collapse. Wiki then can be and is a great help in realizing a more efficient work. Once the topic selection and drafting are completed, revising and proofreading may be much better facilitated, since wiki opens a channel for open-editing.
In short, if wiki can be designed to fit into the setting of the course and the pedagogical pattern, it can indeed prove to be an easy creation of big work.
My idea about using Wiki in my class
Wiki, which pronounces very much like Nikki, sounds so smart and quick. The video about trip planning gives me a clear concept how Wiki can facilitate team work so as to accomplish a common goal. Compared with blog, I think wiki's "open editing" is indeed a big advantage. Allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site is exciting in that it encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by nontechnical users. At this point, my excitement is beyond description, since I feel my students (given the necessary accesses) must be fund of this wiki idea as much as I do.
We can enrich our reading materials by sharing between teacher and students or between students themselves, by suggesting reading lists or giving comment on a certain aspect. I even think wiki can be applied to "fertilize" our oral activities. For instance, I may ask my students to design a party. Since this is supposed to be a group activity, as usual every group is asked to make preparation before class, then the suggestion here is to prepare for it through wiki on ideas about theme of the party, thing to prepare, preferred location, desired guests or even the budget. This wiki preparation is more beneficial than merely asking students to talk with each other or taking notes for three reasons: firstly every group member is to be involved, for it is easy to recognize one's contribution to the group work, and the sense of one's job being published and notified appeals more than expressing simply orally and with the idea gone afterwards. Secondly, it is eaiser for students to trace necessary information or supporting detailed by using Wiki, a simple example might be how to make musks for a dress-up party. Thirdly, the preparation outcome can be "preserved" either for teacher's grading (since at present teachers are expected to give process-oriented grades) or for use with the lower-grade learners. By now, a multitude amount of authentic language input and output has already been accumulated much earlier before the oral activity really starts.
Then another way to further explore oral activity is to ask each group to publish the final design of their party, every group member should be responsible for a certain aspect. However, they are only half-done if they have edited their party perfectly. The other half is to edit the work of other groups. The teacher may pair groups or students may choose a group to edit. In my view, peer-editing is one best thing wiki realizes and gives every learner the sense of importance and responsiblity. With such designed tasks in mind, students need to be fully attentive as other groups are giving their presentation and they are surely to voluntarily take necessary notes without the harsh order from the teacher. Like the third advantage I have mentioned about the preparation period, publishing and edit can not only preserve the content for a particular activity, but also help to enhance learners' sense of accomplishment. Since wiki is brand new to me, these ideas here may be rather confined, but I think more and better function may be discovered in wiki for different types of language classes.
Sorry, Nikki, this blog may be too detailed since I am too excited to carry out such wiki program. It may not sound very academic,but I think it is very practial, anyway, the purpose to learn theory is to put them into practice. Do you agree?
We can enrich our reading materials by sharing between teacher and students or between students themselves, by suggesting reading lists or giving comment on a certain aspect. I even think wiki can be applied to "fertilize" our oral activities. For instance, I may ask my students to design a party. Since this is supposed to be a group activity, as usual every group is asked to make preparation before class, then the suggestion here is to prepare for it through wiki on ideas about theme of the party, thing to prepare, preferred location, desired guests or even the budget. This wiki preparation is more beneficial than merely asking students to talk with each other or taking notes for three reasons: firstly every group member is to be involved, for it is easy to recognize one's contribution to the group work, and the sense of one's job being published and notified appeals more than expressing simply orally and with the idea gone afterwards. Secondly, it is eaiser for students to trace necessary information or supporting detailed by using Wiki, a simple example might be how to make musks for a dress-up party. Thirdly, the preparation outcome can be "preserved" either for teacher's grading (since at present teachers are expected to give process-oriented grades) or for use with the lower-grade learners. By now, a multitude amount of authentic language input and output has already been accumulated much earlier before the oral activity really starts.
Then another way to further explore oral activity is to ask each group to publish the final design of their party, every group member should be responsible for a certain aspect. However, they are only half-done if they have edited their party perfectly. The other half is to edit the work of other groups. The teacher may pair groups or students may choose a group to edit. In my view, peer-editing is one best thing wiki realizes and gives every learner the sense of importance and responsiblity. With such designed tasks in mind, students need to be fully attentive as other groups are giving their presentation and they are surely to voluntarily take necessary notes without the harsh order from the teacher. Like the third advantage I have mentioned about the preparation period, publishing and edit can not only preserve the content for a particular activity, but also help to enhance learners' sense of accomplishment. Since wiki is brand new to me, these ideas here may be rather confined, but I think more and better function may be discovered in wiki for different types of language classes.
Sorry, Nikki, this blog may be too detailed since I am too excited to carry out such wiki program. It may not sound very academic,but I think it is very practial, anyway, the purpose to learn theory is to put them into practice. Do you agree?
Friday, August 6, 2010
Written upon Hiking in Nittany Mount
Sweet blueberries, colorful mushrooms, pumpy and rocky trail, distinct birdview, various local plants, missed bus, Italian restaurant, the companion of a biologist, all these picture today's hiking in Nittany Mount. Here I can merely recollect some fragments of this trip. However, the best thing I enjoy is the silence and quietness, exactly like what the rhyme " Be Still My Soul" depicts. Actually we do have such woods or even better-facilitated sites, yet every such place is overloaded with people, cars, and the worst---noise. Anyway, there is no way to alter the condition. It might be a good idea to feel relieved and enjoy this momentary pleasure of quiescency.
And we do need to say thank you to Jim for realizing us this unforgetable trip.
And we do need to say thank you to Jim for realizing us this unforgetable trip.
Ideas about How to Use Chatting in My class
Chatting has ever been a nuisance in my language class, if I may say so. In the past few years, I have been teaching non-English majors of higher level. Students who stand out in a placement test upon entering university are entitled to have language class in our language lab once every week. We have a kind of course manage system in the lab and for every class students need to complete the assigned task, mostly listening tasks. However, much to my annoyance, I find some students from time to time chat with their friends in QQ or MSN, and they are talking in Chinese. You know, even if I manage to regulate them to stay focused in the listening material, sometimes it is beyond me as we normally have 50 students in the lab. When I finally get frustrated with getting students off the chatting, I have no other choice but to shut off the connection to internet, only keeping the intranet.
Yet after this morning’s class with Nikki in IECP lab, this nuisance is already gone. I really get refreshed when carrying out all these feasible chatting activities. The information gap, the jigsaw and problem-solving all give me enlightenment about applying chatting in my language class. Take problem-solving for example; it can be further developed with selected themes. One activity I have ever tried in my class is to design a party, and then try to get as many people as possible to sign in it. During the activity, students are asked to talk in groups first and then move around the classroom to seek for participants. Students find this activity enjoyable. But I think if I orient this activity as a chatting activity, it might be more competitive and interest-arousing. Firstly, for the design of party, they must rush to give suggestion and search for necessary supporting ideas from the internet. Secondly, in the second stage of asking for signing in, chatting may be fairer, since they are not asking that person face to face. You know, sometimes, you may be uninterested in that party, but that person is your roommate, you need to give him the “face” (which may mean ‘dignity’ or else); besides, voting on the net may be more efficient and easy to count. Lastly, chatting records can be kept both for present judgment (for teachers to score or correct major mistakes) and future use (as an example to introduce similar activities to different classes). So far, I have only figured out these merits with chatting. At application, I think more functions can be developed. Anyway, as long as it fits into the teaching pedagogy and helps to realize the goal, it can be regarded as a pearl.
Yet after this morning’s class with Nikki in IECP lab, this nuisance is already gone. I really get refreshed when carrying out all these feasible chatting activities. The information gap, the jigsaw and problem-solving all give me enlightenment about applying chatting in my language class. Take problem-solving for example; it can be further developed with selected themes. One activity I have ever tried in my class is to design a party, and then try to get as many people as possible to sign in it. During the activity, students are asked to talk in groups first and then move around the classroom to seek for participants. Students find this activity enjoyable. But I think if I orient this activity as a chatting activity, it might be more competitive and interest-arousing. Firstly, for the design of party, they must rush to give suggestion and search for necessary supporting ideas from the internet. Secondly, in the second stage of asking for signing in, chatting may be fairer, since they are not asking that person face to face. You know, sometimes, you may be uninterested in that party, but that person is your roommate, you need to give him the “face” (which may mean ‘dignity’ or else); besides, voting on the net may be more efficient and easy to count. Lastly, chatting records can be kept both for present judgment (for teachers to score or correct major mistakes) and future use (as an example to introduce similar activities to different classes). So far, I have only figured out these merits with chatting. At application, I think more functions can be developed. Anyway, as long as it fits into the teaching pedagogy and helps to realize the goal, it can be regarded as a pearl.
My Reaction to Chatting in General
For me, chatting might be one best thing internet facilitates, for it largely increases chances for people to communicate despite difference in location and time.
This present trip to the States gives me even a strong sense about internet being unalienable to our life, for I can chat with my families at our convenience. Making phone calls is comparatively costly, even when using those international calling cards. In this sense, chatting on net is really convenient and economical as well. Besides, chatting in text will not disturb others especially when you are sharing a room with a friend or communicate in a public place, for instance library.
Apart from these advantages I have mentioned about chatting, some others also come to the list. Multi-dimensional may be one of them, for you can simultaneously talk with several friends on a certain issue or perhaps several different issues. Then diversity stands out as well, which means the blend use of text, picture, audio or even video in chatting. In contrast, these traditional ways of communication seem rather boring. All in all, I hold a rather positive view on chatting in general, from which I have benefited a lot.
This present trip to the States gives me even a strong sense about internet being unalienable to our life, for I can chat with my families at our convenience. Making phone calls is comparatively costly, even when using those international calling cards. In this sense, chatting on net is really convenient and economical as well. Besides, chatting in text will not disturb others especially when you are sharing a room with a friend or communicate in a public place, for instance library.
Apart from these advantages I have mentioned about chatting, some others also come to the list. Multi-dimensional may be one of them, for you can simultaneously talk with several friends on a certain issue or perhaps several different issues. Then diversity stands out as well, which means the blend use of text, picture, audio or even video in chatting. In contrast, these traditional ways of communication seem rather boring. All in all, I hold a rather positive view on chatting in general, from which I have benefited a lot.
technological "letdowns"
Before this first trip to States, I have been reading and getting information from different sources that this land is really a land of high tech, where things like internet and modern facilities are reliable and easily-accessible. However, it is after a whole week here that my computer connection to the Internet is eventually figured out. To get this done, I have, for several times brought my computer to the Commons where the connection problems are supposed to be fixed up. But for me, every visit there was depressing, though people there were really friendly and patient, technical problems kept turing up and terms like Jack or modules were blocking my mind. We have lectures focused on applying technology in language teaching and get assignments to be done on the Net, yet the failure to get connected made all these a hot patato. I got so frustrated as to feel unable to pitch in this world of tech. Thank Godness, the letdown was all over yesterday when a senior at Commons came to my dorm and got it all settled. Hopefully, I can gain the confidence to pick up what I have missed.
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