Re: [Air-L] wiki tool suggestions?
If you have no other option, then this is the best option. Simple. Nicole -----Original Message----- From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of elw@stderr.org Sent: 07 September 2007 13:49 To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Subject: Re: [Air-L] wiki tool suggestions?
I, too, keep coming back to PB Wiki, and so do several people in the institution.
Some critical-engagement-with-technology problems with pbwiki: 1) You're relying entirely on an outside entity to keep the thing running- servers up, data intact, reasonably secured against outsiders. You have zero control over any of this, even if you want or suddenly need it. 2) What do those "backups" look like, from a data POV? Can you import them into something else usefully? Without assistance or reverse-engineering? Or are they locked in with the single-source pbwiki vendor? 2b) "hey man, where's my source code?" 3) FERPA, privacy, and security. Are you really comfortable with moving your student activities offsite? Would your campus counsel be comfortable with that move? [I just finished reading the "security" documentation pbwiki provides "for IT folks"; I classify it as "whitewashing" rather than "whitepaper", and am not at all comfortable with the tone of what's presented therein.] The notion of moving academic activity off-campus and into the hands of a commercial entity... well, to be frank, it makes my skin crawl. There are *so many* serious problems that could spring up - it is truly frightening. --elijah
-----Original Message----- From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of catherine middleton Sent: 06 September 2007 21:36 To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Subject: [Air-L] wiki tool suggestions?
Hi all,
I'm looking for suggestions for wiki software to use with a class. I don't want to have to install anything, and am of course looking for something simple to set up and use. When this question was asked some time ago, the following sites were suggested:
http://www.mediawiki.org http://phpwiki.sourceforge.net/ http://moodle.org/ http://pbwiki.com/ http://www.seedwiki.com http://www.pmwiki.org/
What would you recommend now?
The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
I personally like Wikispaces, which, by default, has a discussion board attached to each page. That could be good to ensuring that discussions between students about changes, are tied to a particular page, rather than getting lost in other discussions/ emails that they're having. I've recently been to ALT-C - a conference in the UK for Learning Technologists. One of the papers ( http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2007/timetable/abstract.php?abstract_id=1220 ) looked at how students were using wikis etc. They found that students found the group work aspects very difficult, and the most common way of creating a wiki was for them to divide up the content and create a "page" each. Reference was made in the presentation to a different session, when "Wiki etiquette" was discussed (not sure which session, as i didn't go to it). They made the point, however, that they'd spend a lot more time discussing how much work most students need to help them effectively use a wiki. (The presentation doesn't seem to be linked to from the page. Others that I went to were, so hopefully this one will appear at some point) I know that when I had students creating wikis, they were definitely of the "I'll do that page & you do that page" variety. So, getting them to understand what a wiki really involves is, I think, going to take quite a bit of work. -- New URL: Blog: http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~duke-wie/blog/
Bother ... forgot the URL for Wikispaces! http://www.wikispaces.net/ Emma -- New URL: Blog: http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~duke-wie/blog/
participants (2)
-
Cargill-Kipar, Nicole -
Emma Duke-Williams