Wikis are awesome! They are great solution for collaboration without the hassel of trying to sort through emails. The assignment for week 4 was to work as a group to write a short story using a wiki. The story had to revolve around 2 characters and was divided into three parts: The setup, the conflict, then the resolution. My group did not have time to discuss the plot but we agreed on which part of the story each member was to write about and then re-edit the story before it is due so it makes sense. I wrote about the conflict between the two characters, which made it difficult since I didn’t know the setup. I wanted to write about something that everyone could relate to so it would be easy to establish a storyline. The conflict started with the character making a confession that nobody on a date wants to hear. I was the first to post it on the wiki. Later, another member of the group wrote what they saw as the setup of the story and then tailored it to the conflict that I posted. The last member of the group posted a conclusion of the story and used the same tone as the setup and the conflict. I went back and re-edit the story on the wiki so as to shorten it and create a consistent flow. Without sending any emails or conversing on the phone, we were able to successfully write a story together and post it just in time for class.
I was not able to make it to week 4’s class but participated through elluminate. I typed into the URL that our class was being held and all of a sudden, I could see my classmates from the camera that was connected to the TA’s computer. A microphone is located in the front of the room and i was able to hear the instructor give the lecture. I could see all of the powerpoint presentations and websites that were displayed to the class. Some classmates did a group presentation on the uses and history of wikis and blogs. Their presentation is posted on http://mytwistedbrain.com/blog/?p=38 , which makes a great reference.
Currently I am working on a group presentation on Virtual Worlds and Virtual Learning. Just like our last assignment, we are using wikis to collaborate and edit our ideas. It would be neat to do our presentation using a virtual world. I am wondering if people would respond better to a lecture from a wizard, alien or super hero. So many choices…
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