wiki it

In January I took a 3-day workshop on integrating technology into the classroom through the Center for Faculty Development. I learned about all sorts of new instructional resources, but the one that has changed my work life the most is wikis. I've used Wikipedia for years and encourage my students to use it as well. It's a wonderful example of how people can work collaboratively to compile an impressive database of knowledge. It also highlights some of the flaws or missing pieces in that knowledge--some entries are clearly better than others. Still, I didn't understand the full potential of wikis to coordinate a group's work.

After the workshop, I set up two wikis for the department faculty. One for the tenure-track faculty and full-time lecturers with programmatic responsibilities. The other wiki is for all the faculty. Both have proved instrumental in sharing knowledge and accomplishing tasks. I don't think we could have accomplished what we did in the spring semester without the wikis.

So in addition to building blogs into my online classes, I'm going to use wikis in the fall. For this class, students will post all aspects of their research projects to the wiki. This will allow current students to share information related to their projects. And the wikis will allow me to build institutional memory--each semester, students will add to the wiki. Later classes will be able to benefit from the knowledge based begun by earlier classes.

~ Professor Cyborg

making decisions

I've taught BUS/COMM six times previously, two times in person and four times online. Each time the class is different--different readings, different assignments. In part I make changes to keep the class fresh; in part because I'm trying to perfect the class--teach it better each time. I realize the class never will be perfect. As my spouse says, perfection is for the gods alone. And the class isn't always better in spite of my attempted improvements. But I learn from all my classes no matter how they enfold. So once again, I'm making changes.

I'm sticking with the same text I've used twice. Students respond positively to it and it provides a solid foundation for their research projects. I spoke with Ted Zorn, one of the authors, at the National Communication Association convention last year and he indicated a new edition was in the works. I hope so. Much has happened in organizational communication and organizing since the book was published in 2004.

The primary change I'm making is moving out of Blackboard (read about my views of this learning management system in my COMM 144 blog). Suffice it to say I'm not too impressed with the latest version. Students will now be blogging about what they're reading about and working on for the class. And they'll comment on each other's blogs (and mine if they choose to do so). Students blog in my undergraduate classes and seem to like it. I think blogging about the readings, and especially reading what others blog about, helps them understand the material and improves their performances on assessments (although I have no empirical evidence for this). Blogging also engages students directly with the course material and with each.

So I'll see how it goes. . .

~ Professor Cyborg

developing the class

As with my other online classes, I'm revising BUS/COMM 244. I haven't taught the course for 1.5 years and it's time to make a few changes. In addition, as I've blogged about extensively, Blackboard is so user unfriendly, I want to keep my use of it to a minimum. So in this class we'll be blogging and using free online services to coordinate the class and interact. I'd prefer not to use a commercial product such as Google, but Blackboard is proprietary and I'm sure costing the university a fair bit of cash.

I've just started working on BUS/COMM 244. I know that students will be blogging and working on a major project for the class, but I haven't yet worked out the details. What else is a holiday weekend for except work?

~ Professor Cyborg