June 21, 2006 at 12:30 pm · Filed under TechTalk, Web 2.0
A number of faculty here at Plymouth State have asked about employing wikis as part of their curriculum. Our current wiki system (TikiWiki) is designed to operate as our self support repository and it’s current management structure (based on our university’s decision to maintain control over our support documentation) does not lend itself well to use by classes.
I installed a couple of test wikis on my own site to allow these faculty members an opportunity to explore wikis in a sort of sandbox environment. The two wikis I installed were MediaWiki and TikiWiki. Now this is great for exploratory purposes but not exactly scalable. Never mind the support expectations.
In the past few months, a number of my edublog feeds discussed PBwiki as a free web-hosted option for those interested in wiki use. After exploring the site and testing some of the functionality myself, I have to say that this is a great resource and I have begun to recommend it to our faculty.
June 21, 2006 at 12:11 pm · Filed under Random Thoughts
I have to apologize for not being more diligent in my attention to this blog but the past few months have been more than a little chaotic for me both professionally and personally.
On a professional level, my role at Plymouth State University has changed dramatically. My new title is Coordinator of Learning Technologies for the Lamson Learning Commons. While this role will allow me to focus my energies on current and emerging teaching and learning technologies, and on our learning management system, WebCT, it is a departure from my former role as coordinator for our Technology & Learning Center, or TLC, where the bulk of my responsibilites were managing the HelpDesk and Desktop Support teams for our campus. As a result, there has been a bit of a steep learning curve as I transition into my new position and less time for me to devote to my blog - although I hope this will changes as I acclimate to my new position.
On a more personal level, I graduated from Plymouth State University this past May with my Master’s in Education, with a focus on educational technology.
I am currently putting the finishing touches on my practicum which is the development of a graduate level course entitled Teaching, Learning and the 21st Century Classroom. While I have explored many of the topics independently, I have been inspired by the work of Ulises Mejias and Terry Anderson, as well as Will Richardson’s recently published book - Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.
Additionally, my wife has taken a position teaching 7th grade science at the Gilford Middle School in Gilford, NH. As a result, we will be engaged in the process of relocating to Gilford over the coming months. While we will miss life and our friends in Sandwich, this is a career opportunity for Michelle that we couldn’t pass up.
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