Wiki source code of Class Wiki2

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 1: <h2>Class Wiki 2.0</h2>
 2: Authors: Dain Cilke , Matthew Clark , Scott Keller , Ian York\\
 3: <h4>Abstract: </h4>
 4: Wikis are a part of our everyday lives and a great way of spreading information;\\however, how can we better align the xwiki tools and educational practices to enhance\\participation and foster collaboration.
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 6: <h4>Keywords: </h4>
 7: wiki, collaboration, education, classroom, community, usability
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 9: <h4>Statement of the Problem: </h4>
10: After exploring learning support systems related to Sketch-up, we\\decided instead to focus on the class wiki and identify enhancements that may help facilitate both\\digital and social system participation. Our goal has been to build upon the successes of the\\current class wiki and expand the overall utility of the wiki for future classes. By reviewing the\\current systems, as well as related class practices, we determined four areas around which we\\could develop wiki-related technology and exercises:\\&#61607; Individuality versus collaboration in content authorship\\&#61607; Creativity versus consistency in content creation and display\\&#61607; Page verses meta views in content awareness and navigation\\&#61607; Directed versus spontaneous group formation around class topics\\Our understanding of the issues has changed over time as we have explored the current literature\\and uncovered various implementation difficulties. Because we are working within the predeveloped\\framework of the XWiki software, we've made some pragmatic compromises with our\\original designs, while still maintaining the goal of improved wiki utility.
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12: <h4>Rationale:</h4>
13: Our class wiki provides an immediate example of the interplay between digital and social\\systems. As wikis provide a content-neutral platform for groups to create, review, and edit\\content, the substance of a wiki directly reflects the social practices of the contributors. When\\used in a classroom, a wiki provides a unique opportunity to explore the challenges and\\complexities of digital and social collaboration.\\For clarity, a wiki is usually defined as a collection of web pages designed to allow anyone to\\contribute or edit. Wikis differ from more traditional web sites in that the content creation and\\revision is more distributed in time and contributors, and in that the page creation process is\\Fischer/Eden 15 DCNM Course, Spring 2009\\often greatly simplified requiring only a web browser. These differences create new dynamics\\around the wiki content allowing for collaboration during construction of information and\\understanding. Interest in using a wiki in the classroom often centers on these collaborative and\\constructive possibilities.\\Of course, the presence of a wiki does not immediately transform a classroom into a collaborative\\environment. Years of classroom experiences, for both teachers and students, can work to\\predefine or limit the possibilities of a wiki. Often times, class wikis end up acting simply as\\educator directed content management systems, helping to simply administer handouts and\\assignments. However, when consciously leveraged, wikis may act as a fulcrum point around\\which both social and technological practices can be pivoted towards greater collaboration.\\Classrooms differ from many wiki environments in that the assessment process can direct\\individuals to differing modes of participation and help guide an exploration of the technical and\\social uses of a class wiki. Most public wikis depend on the willingness of individuals to\\participate and, like many social web tools, can struggle to maintain an active community.\\Classrooms naturally provide that community of interest, although perhaps only for a limited\\time, as compared to public wikis. By using assessment as the leverage, teachers can use the wiki\\to guide students to explore various possibilities for participation over the duration of the class.\\However, wikis also allow for students to help direct class practices as well through a greater\\potential for interaction, communication, and coordination. Students can more easily view the\\contributions of their peers, which can allow them to find exemplars of current and past work,\\build upon peer contributions, even redirect assignments entirely when class consensus emerges.\\This greater awareness of peer actions provided by the wiki plays a direct role developing norms\\for the class regarding mode and degree of participation, as well as depth and style of content.\\Through the interplay of both teacher and student actions, class practices must evolve to provide\\direction and purpose to a wiki. While a strictly hands-off, ethnographic approach can help\\research how a class might choose to use a wiki, the constant competition for the time of teachers\\and students in an academic environment can quickly deprioritize wiki work regardless of the\\interest level. Directing wiki work through structured activities and assessment can help\\establish a foundation of familiarity and help outline the options for a class to better explore the\\domain of digital and social systems
Wiki source code of Class Wiki2

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