Learning Objective 4: After students have completed individual research and reflection, students will be broken up into teams to compare and contrast different proposed forms of brain maintenance. Work will be documented using Wikispaces following a detailed rubric to an exemplary degree. (Synthesis and Evaluation)
Introduction:
The module associated with this learning objective is entitled "Brain Maintenance" and focuses on the ability of students to conduct research into a topic and critically evaluate their findings. Students will choose a method of proposed brain maintenance and complete research and self reflection prior to joining a group to complete the critical evaluation of the different methods. The students will document their work utilizing the Web2.0 tool Wikispaces, which will give them freedom to collaborate and organize their work.
Web 2.0 Assessment Activity:
Wikispaces is a freely available site for creating wikis. Wikis are dynamic applications that readily allow users to alter the same document, engage in discussions, organize events, and complete a variety of other collaborative projects. Wikis do not have a defined user or leader and are adaptable in a way that the site can develop to meet the needs of the group. Since Wikis do not have a defined leader they can be edited by any members of the group without receiving formal permission. This aspect of the Wiki can be beneficial as far as providing student ownership of the material, but may be a hindrance for instructors interested in relaying static information.
Beneficial Features as an Assessment Tool:
Wikispaces has been in existence for close to a decade but has recently altered its site to include Wikispaces Classroom (WikiC), an education tailored derivative of Wikispaces. WikiC not only functions as a basic wiki, it includes the ability to schedule events, projects, upload files, and track user engagement. Both are freely available as long as the domain ends in wikispaces.com. Due to the longevity of Wikispaces a number of teachers have utilized the technology and this support community can be tapped for aid in setting up your site.
Challenges as an Assessment Tool:
Wikispaces was less intuitive than I assumed it would be upon setting up my trial site. It took significant time to orient myself and begin to set up pages and post introductory comments. The ability to organize the site and choose new templates did not seem to be readily available. However, others have utilized Wikispaces to set up complicated Wikis, such as this one from NASA. It seems possible to design a more streamlined interface, but include a significant learning curve.
Educational Application:
Students will choose a brain maintenance method and complete research and self-reflection and post this to the class wiki. Students will then be broken up into teams and asked to research and compare and contrast the different chosen methods of brain maintenance. A finalized group document will be presented on the class Wiki and teams will assess the work of other teams. Students will be evaluated based on a detailed rubric.
Students will choose a brain maintenance method and complete research and self-reflection and post this to the class wiki. Students will then be broken up into teams and asked to research and compare and contrast the different chosen methods of brain maintenance. A finalized group document will be presented on the class Wiki and teams will assess the work of other teams. Students will be evaluated based on a detailed rubric.
Plagiarism and Universal Design:
The use of Wikis to document personal reflection and self assessment is a personalized activity and extremely difficult to plagiarize. Additionally, group work will be completed on the same Wiki site and a progression of thought will be available to justify and validate the completed product. The ascetic of the wiki should be optimized to include high contrast, highly visible labels, a logical flow of ideas, and pictures to supplement the text.
Student Centered Learning:
This activity is very student centered and emphasizes the implementation of social constructivist theory into the online environment.
Student Centered Learning:
This activity is very student centered and emphasizes the implementation of social constructivist theory into the online environment.
Conclusion:
Wikispaces has the potential to be a powerful collaborative site for implementing constructivist theory in the classroom. The time it takes upfront to set up a well organized site may be worth the outcome in student learning.
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