A3.6: Week 3 Reflection

Deidra Darst
9/6/07

Aims and Objectives:  My personal goal with regard to CD 315 this week was to successfully complete each assignment on time.  I set out to complete at least two assignments each night in order to finish everything in a timely fashion.  I knew from the beginning of the week that I wanted to attended the Marshall/WVU football Saturday morning, so I needed to finish my assignments prior to September 8th.  Due to family illnesses and the untimely death of a young man from my hometown, my plans were thrown off kilter on Monday.   I feel as if I have struggled to keep on task this week, but I still plan to finish everything before Saturday morning.  To quote Mr. Newt Gingrich, “perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”  This has just been “one of those weeks,” but I am going to make it through!

Declarative Knowledge:  This week’s assignments taught me about wikis, collaborative editing and essential questions.  I learned that wikis, web pages that anyone can edit, are more reliable than I had previously thought.  Many people edit and monitor these sites which decreases the number of incorrect and inappropriate posts.  I was also introduced to collaborative editing tools, which allow multiple users to simultaneously edit a single document.  This tools is very effective at the workplace and educational settings.  Richardson’s text explained the wiki in even greater detail.  In chapter four of his text I learned that many K-12 teachers are utilizing wikis in their classrooms.  By completing my reflection assignments, I learned about developing a research question and how to implement essential questions into the research process.  Selecting a research question, analyzing it and modifying it will simplify the process of developing a research question.  Conducting research is made more interesting and productive when essential questions are posed prior to the research process. Real life situations are considered as a basis for research, which draws the interest of the researcher, ultimately leading to a more thorough investigation and analysis of the gathered information.

Procedural Knowledge:  I learned how to create a page for our class wiki.  I used my Web browser to navigate to the class wiki site.  I created a new page by clicking “create new page,” created an account and logged in to the system.  I named my page “Deidra Darst” as instructed, selected the proper template and clicked “create new page.”  This will allow me to work collaboratively with my classmates.  I also learned how to go about developing a research question.  I can use an eight-step series of questions to guide the developmental process.

Conditional Knowledge:
The knowledge and skills that I acquired this week will be most useful throughout the remainder of the semester.  I will call upon my knowledge and understanding of wikis and other collaborative editing programs during the completion of my CD 315 projects.  I can use these skills to efficaciously complete the objectives for this course.

I can connect this week’s materials and assignments with my life as a student at Marshall University.  Group work has been prevalent in most of my collegiate-level courses.  Collaborative work was difficult in classes in which I was unfamiliar with my group mates.  I realize how much easier our lives could have been if only we had used a wiki or collaborative editing program.  We could have simultaneously contributing to our projects from the comforts of our own homes rather than meeting at the library late at night because that was the only time everyone could meet.

As a pre-professional, I must adopt these forms of technology into my daily life.  The more I know about and understand wikis, collaborative editing tools and research techniques, the more capable I will be as a speech-language pathologist.  I need to use any and all resources available to me in order to abide by ASHA’s Code of Ethics.  The Code of Ethics states that clinicians must provide services to the best of their abilities, and this means using any and all available technologies.

As a citizen, this week’s material has connections to my life.  I realized that so many technologies exist that I am unfamiliar with at this time.  I need to have extensive knowledge and skills concerning technology in order to be a productive citizen.  By increasing my digital literacy skills, I can reach my full potential as a contributor to society.

A3.3: Framing Essential Questions

Deidra Darst
9/6/07

My source of reflection:

http://www.fno.org/sept96/questions.html

This particular document introduced me to “essential questions.”  Essential questions provoke interest, thought, evaluation, and analyzation.  Real life problem-solving is paired with the typical forms of exploration in this particular form of research.  I learned that, by using essential questions, research becomes more meaningful and more thorough.  It is important to identify subsidiary, or secondary, questions that will ultimately lead to your main essential question.  This process will aid me in developing my research question for my CD 315 project.  I will be able to view my research as pertinent and interesting by relating research questions to true life experiences.

I found it surprising that the answers do not exist for essential questions.  Why strive to find the unattainable answer?  The document explains that the researcher can create his or her own answer based on the culmination of the information gathered.  The researcher gains knowledge and understanding throughout the research process that enables him or her to create a deeper understanding of the research topic.

This document could greatly impact my work, present and future.  I will undoubtedly use essential questions sometime in my academic career.  The document stated that many students are required to research “a topic” in which they have little or no interest.  What good can come of requiring work that has little to no meaning to your students?  I will consider this when I begin practicing as a speech-language pathologist.  I will be a more effective clinician if I consider my clients’ individuality and interests and create activities that stimulate their curiosities and interests.

A3.3: Developing a Research Question

Deidra Darst
9/6/07
My source of reflection:

http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/0/f87fd7182f0ff21c852569c2005a47b7

I set out on a mission this summer – find out what CD 315 is all about. In order to get a general idea about the course material, I found the weblogs made by previous students. I realized that each student had chosen their own research question and completed research on their specific topics. I asked myself, “how in the world am I suppose to chose a research question all by myself?!” I found this document helpful because it provided advice for developing research questions. It has made me feel more prepared for the tasks ahead! By asking myself eight particular questions, I will be able to determine whether or not my research question is good, bad, or just okay. For example, what types of information will I need to find? Is the necessary information accessible? The answers to these questions will help guide me in the development of a research question.

You may be surprised by this, but prior to this reading, I had never considered that a system was in place for developing a research question. In the past, I have found it difficult to narrow things down because I have not gone about it systematically. I usually try to “skip” steps and get to the final product too quickly. The first question I always asked myself was, “Can I research this?” I now know that this should be the last question I ask myself.

The things I learned will definitely have an impact on my work. When I am asked to formulate a research question in the future, I will utilize the eight-step process provided in this document. Choosing a research question is simplified when you analyze each step accordingly.

A3.2: Chapter 4 – Richardson

Deidra Darst
9/5/07

Richardson, W. (2006).  Wikis:  Easy collaboration for all. In J. Barbakow, E. Meidenbauer, J. Ward (Eds.), Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

TAP:
The topic of chapter 4 in Richardson’s text, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, is the wiki.  This chapter is intended to introduce wikis to educators and explains how they can be great learning tools for the classroom.

Claim: 
Richardson claims that wikis are an easy and efficient means in which to achieve true collaboration amongst individuals.  Utilizing wikis is one means of accessing vast amounts of information that has been put together by numerous individuals.

Evidence:
Wikis are an ever-growing resource for collaborators on the World Wide Web.  By visiting a wiki such as www.wikipedia.org one can access information on just about any topic.  That same person can add or edit information found on a wiki simply by clicking “edit this page.”  The ease with which these tasks can be completed makes wikis user-friendly.  While some people are apprehensive about their accuracy, wikis are often reliable because so many people can monitor and edit an erroneous or offensive entry.

Richardson provides an example of the wiki’s efficiency.  The 2004 tsunami was highly documented on www.wikipedia.org.  Eye witness testimonies, photos and videos were posted within hours of the incident (2006).  Anyone privy to information has the ability to add it to a wiki regardless of their location or status.

Many educators are incorporating wikis into their curricula because they offer many benefits to their users.  Students contribute their knowledge to the wiki, and their classmates have the opportunity to add to the posted information.  “In essence, students begin to teach each other” (2006).  Work becomes truly collaborative when students add new information and edit others’ entries.  Wiki users must think critically about the information provided by others in order to effectively exercise their editorial abilities.

Connections:
text-to-me:  As I skimmed through my Week 3 Assignments sheet I noticed that our CD 315 class will be creating a wiki, so I read this chapter very carefully.  I have never published anything on a wiki, so I found this chapter’s detailed descriptions of wiki-use helpful.  I, like other potential wiki users, feel apprehensive about making my work available for editing.  Reading this chapter eased my anxieties by explaining that the entire wiki community monitors your work in order to maintain a valid, unbiased site.  As the book title states, wikis are powerful web tools that can greatly improve workings within the classroom.  I look forward to collaborating with my fellow classmates in our CD 315 wiki endeavor.

text-to-text:  This chapter was very similar to the document 7 Things You Should Know About Wikis.  Both articles described the wiki, how it began, how it is used, who uses it, and how it can be successfully implemented within the classroom.  Richardson’s text expands upon the ideas mentioned in the 7 Things article.

text-to-world:  As a future speech-language pathologist, I can employ some of the ideas mentioned within this chapter.  Richardson mentioned that some teachers use a wiki to publish, edit and share lesson plans; this could be done within the communication disorders profession as well.  Professionals can collaborate and provide one another with pertinent and useful information that might otherwise be incommunicable.

A3.2: 7 Things You Should Know About Collaborative Editing

Deidra Darst
9/5/07

 

7 things you should know about collaborative editing (2005). Educause Learning Initiative. Retrieved September 4, 2007, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf .

TAP: The topic of this document is collaborative editing and was written for teachers, students and groups who wish to enhance their collaborative tasks. The purpose of the document is to introduce collaborative editing, its users, significance and how it can improve teaching and learning strategies.

Claim: The document claims that collaborative editing is an easy and efficient means for collaborators to simultaneously create and edit information within a single document.

Evidence: The author provides evidence that supports the claim being made in this document. The ease with which collaborative documents can be accessed is explained. Users must log into the collaborative editing software or program, request admittance and then begin working. These programs are easy to use as well. Each person who is currently accessing a document is assigned a color, and his or her additions and changes appear in that color. Everyone can see other contributors’ work in real-time. Collaborative editing tools can be accessed from anywhere at anytime, so group work is much easier and more efficient. The article states the importance of technology in learning environments; collaborative editing tools allow students to help one another and learn from other students’ contributions.

Connections: I had little knowledge of collaborative editing tools prior to reading this article. I found it interesting that this is even possible! I found one sentence particularly interesting: “… some users may be uncomfortable moving editing and revision into a quasi-public, shared space” (2005). I think that I would be quite uncomfortable working with collaborative editing tools for this very reason. I like to create and revise things independently and seek advice only after my work nears completion. I am uncomfortable exposing my “works-in-progress.” It would be a great feat for me to successfully and comfortably use this technology.

This document highlighted the similarities between collaborative editing tools and wikis. Both programs allow multiple people to contribute to and edit a single piece of work. However, collaborative editing tools, with their real-time time-frame, do no allow overwriting to occur. Both programs allow for easy and efficient completion of collaborative tasks.

Collaborative editing tools could easily find their way into my future career as a professional in the field of speech-language pathology. For instance, technology can be utilized at conferences and state conventions. I attended a cerumen management class at the West Virginia Speech & Hearing Association State Convention last spring in which a PowerPoint presentation was used. The attendees could have used a collaborative editing program to simultaneously add and edit information on a single document. At the end of the session, each person could have possessed a document in which everyone had contributed.

 

A3.2: 7 Things You Should Know About Wikis

 

 

Deidra Darst
9/04/07

 

7 things you should know about wikis (2005). Educause Learning Initiative. Retrieved September 4, 2007, from http://connect.educause.edu/library/abstract/7ThingsYouShouldKnow/39381 .

TAP: The topic of this document is the wiki, a collaboration-based website. The target audience consists of individuals who often collaborate with others in order to complete work, assignments and other collaborative tasks. The purpose of the document is to inform the audience about the following in regards to the wiki: what it is, who uses it, how it works, why it is important, its negative aspects, what is in its future, and how it can change teaching and learning.

Claim: The author claims that the wiki is an easy and productive tool that can aid Internet users in collaborative tasks.

Evidence: Evidence is provided that supports the claim being made in this text. Those who utilize wikis can quickly and easily access and add information to the existing data. These tasks can be completed with only an Internet connection and a Web browser. By simply clicking “Edit” and “Save,” a writer’s contributions are added to the wiki. Wikis provide users with the opportunity to act as reader, writer and editor (2005). Anyone can access a wiki and make contributions to it, either from a writer’s or editor’s standpoint. Educational programs have begun using wikis in order to allow group work, collaborative learning and peer editing.  Wikis are being used to easily create works with group members rather than physically passing around a document amongst collaborators.

Connections: I became acquainted with wikis a few years ago. A professor of mine said that the class could not use www.wikipedia.org as a source of citation because it was not credible. Not knowing what a wiki was, I had to do some research. I learned that wikis can be edited by anyone – even me! This article helped clearly define the inner workings of the wiki as well as highlight the benefits of its use. When used by a group of trustworthy people, wikis can be very beneficial and effective.

I just read an article about collaborative editing and it seems very similar to the wiki. Group work is common in educational programs and the workplace, so collaborative-based programs are being created and utilized to improve efficiency.

As a future speech-language pathologist, I can appreciate the benefits that a wiki can offer those in the professional world. Speech-language pathologists, audiologists and other health and communication experts could contribute to a communicative-based wiki. Readers, writers and editors of the wiki could learn from others’ thoughts, concerns and experiences. Technology such as this could positively impact inter-and intra-professional communications and should be utilized when possible.