In your own words, can you explain the difference between a blog, a wiki, and a web site?
This week we are just beginning our blogging journey, so let's try to identify what a blog is! Right now you are looking at our group's blog, and you may also know that our group also has a wiki. Finally, let's look at the TESOL web site.
After looking at the blog, wiki, and web site, can you explain the difference in your own words? Especially consider how people can interact with the information presented in these various formats!
In your comment, let us know how you distinguish between a blog, a wiki, and a web site!
This week we are just beginning our blogging journey, so let's try to identify what a blog is! Right now you are looking at our group's blog, and you may also know that our group also has a wiki. Finally, let's look at the TESOL web site.
After looking at the blog, wiki, and web site, can you explain the difference in your own words? Especially consider how people can interact with the information presented in these various formats!
In your comment, let us know how you distinguish between a blog, a wiki, and a web site!
66 comments:
Blog is an online journal that allows the owner to post entries that are generally displayed in reverse chronological order. Many blogs allow readers to comment on these posts.
A wiki is a type of website that allows multiple users to collaboratively create and edit pages.
I think that blog is an online journal. I read a lot about it becaise few weeks ago, I decided to create a blog. I also agree with the definitions provided by techtribe.
However, I am really not sure about the difference between wiki and blog. I created a wiki and a blog.I mean, "Why should I convince students to create wiki not blog or blog not wiki? What are the advantages of each?
There are a lot of definitions in literature about blogs and wikis. I see blog more as a personal tool, as a silo of knowledge, as an expression of thoughts, as an opportunity to get feedback from users.
A wiki is a good place for collaboration and cooperation, for sharing ideas, a place for working with others for a specific topic.
Hi everyone,
For me this terminology is quite confusing...but,this is the way I see it: a blog is a diary, so it's something personal; a website pages connected to one another; even though I'm still a puzzling over the definition of a wiki, I believe it's a website.
I think blogging is like a journal and no one can change it. Wikis on the other hand can be changed by anyone who wants to change the info. A website is a place to look for information and many times the creator has contact information if there are any questions from the reading audience....It think that is right...Dorinda
I thought I just posted a comment but don't see it :(
Ok, so once more...
I think blogging is more than an online diary. It's more purposeful than a MySpace page, for example. This one here is for educators, others for managers, social workers, etc.
Webpages/sites seem more unidirectional, that is, providers of info rather than gatherers/sharers.
And Wikis are best used for collaborating, such as virtual teams that need to work on multiple drafts before a final product to be presented.
Dear all,
Thanks for your contributions!Isn't it great to be able to have a space to share our ideas with other colleagues?
While it is true they are all websites, the most significant difference is that blogs and wikis are part of the so called Web 2.0 services or the read/write web, which allows users to easily publish and edit content. Traditional websites (Web 1.0) required experts to know a special language, HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language) and users could only read or consume information. Generally, you can only reach the webmasters or site owners by e-mail but you can’t interact with other readers or change the content.
Techtribe and Gabriela have provided good definitions of blogs and wikis. What else can we add as regards their structure and purpose?
Although many blogs are personal journals, we can also set up team blogs where different authors can write posts. Have a look at this one for example. ;)
Let’s keep exploring these types of sites to find the differences! :)
Great Li-lee!
We just posted our comments at the same time!
Thanks for your contribution, very clear and accurate! The Web 1.0 or read is also refered to as the one-way web while the Web 2.0 is the two-way web, interactive and empowering!
Hi again,
A blog is a useful tool that not only provides personal information in journal style but can also be a way to collaborate and make classes more interactive.
A wiki is another tool on the web that can be a source of information like wikipedia but can also be edited by its users. A web page is a resource used by organizations to give information about their products and services
Thank you all for your definitions. They have completed my ideas about blogs, wikis and pages. I´d say the blog is a dynamic personal page, where you can post content. A wiki is a collaborative dictionary, and a web page a more static display of content. I agree with "autora de wonder series" and I like the simple definitions she provides.
I think that trying to define things that are still in a state of flux is a great (and challenging!) exercise. Blogs, for instance, may have started as personal journals, but now we see several different types of blogs, from those kept by journalists (instead of their daily columns) to team and class blogs, blogs attached to websites (as a quick way of updating info), etc.
One of the things I find most interesting about wikis is the possibility of 'keeping track' of previous versions, who edited and what he/she did, and of reversing to previous versions. Working with process writing, I could use that information to gain some insight into how people work collaboratively, what they do and how their 'interference' affects the whole process and reflects on the final text.
Hello... It is 11pm EST so I am late to join the day's activities... It seems everybody has a pretty good working definition for blog. I'd like to add my 2 cents worth as far as wikis are concerned (since I actually had to "google" it to begin to understand that concept).
According to Wikipedia (where else?) wikis let the users make and link various webpages easily. So more than a blog, a wiki seems to me to operate more like software that creates intranets. It also has "open editing"--which means that any user can make changes (like to Wikipedia), whereas with a Blog you can post comments but can't actually change the content that the author wrote.
Gina
To respond to Carlas's suggestion.
As regards to purpose of blogs in general. I think they are powerful tools to communicate with the whole world, they help to build relationships, because they allow interaction.
As for wikis I really like Monica's comment of the possibility to collect evidence of colaborative work, that would lead to interesting research.
Carla, thanks for posting your message concerning the differences between each...
In addition to the decription mentioned by , techtribe, consuela, I totally agree with Monica's and Consuela's points...
I just remembered that once I joined a pbwiki as a collaborator. That wiki wa about one Theme: UNITY. WE, teachers, from all over Lebanon, posted our students writing pieces and tiles as a response to that theme. It seems that wiki allows us to join and collaborate in one theme. Moreover, I remembered that when any of the collaborators edit a posting (picture, wrting, piece, even if a single word), the other members will be notified throught via e-mails about the kind of change.
Carla, when I had a second look at the structure of the blog and the wiki, I found out that the wiki, in addition to having many collaborators who can edit any posting, has many icons such as "External Links", " bookmark sites" etc...Is this a difference or...?
Hoda
Carla, can we edit our message after sending it in order to fix spelling mistakes? The fact is that I usually type quickly due to connectivity problems in Lebanon in order to send my message before I encounter problems..
Hoda
Dear Bloggers!
It is so wonderful to see that you have been bringing our little blog to life and make it so much more meaningful. I am delighted to read your comments. I am learning a lot from you. Isn't it nice to share our thoughts and read the ones from others'?
I just love the comment feature of blogs. it's its great potential, I think!
Hi, Hoda!
Thanks for your comment and for telling us about your experience contributing to a wiki.
As you pointed out, the content of a wiki edited by many contributors reflects the shared knowledge of the group, which of course challenges the traditional concept of authorship. In a team blog, in contrast, each contributor adds a post and you don't generally edit another person's post.
As regards notifications, you may receive a message each time somebody edits content, only once a day or you may choose not to receive messages at all depending on the settings option that you choose.
Here in Blogger you can't edit messages, but in Edublogs (Wordpress), the host we are going to explore next month. The authors can edit comments. Anyway, we shouldn't worry about typos. ;-)
Both wikis and blogs can have links to other sites. In wikis you can also create links to other wiki pages.
Thanks for sharing your questions with the group. I'm sure they are very useful for all participants.
Regards,
Carla
Sorry, I should have said "the host we are going to explore next week."
:-)
It's a pity we can't edit comments after all. ;-)
Dear Sara, Edita, Mónica, Gina, Consuelo, Hoda,
Thanks for your valuable contributions!
It's great to see that there's not a single right answer, but that we can "build" the answer together!
This is what wikis and blogs are all about!
Let's keep the thread going and growing!
A blog, a WIKI, and a website:
(my feeble attempt):
ALL three are a form of website.
As others have stated, a blog normally has one primary editor, or controlled editors. A WIKI might have innumerable editors (as I understand it now, though, the control mechanisms on levels of administrators, editorial privileges and the like can be quite similar to blog controls on some WIKIs now?).
I'll repeat my question and attempt an answer here, too:
What about adding "Moodles" (or CMS/LMS course/learning management systems) into the mix? What makes THEM different?
I think they, too are websites. I would explain the difference in the levels of interactivity available in a CMS -- tracking of all participants, ability to include grading, assignments, individual uploads that are visible or not to the group, etc. But I'm not satisfied with my answer. Can anyone help elaborate?
Thanks!
Ok, I was beginning to understand blog, and wiki but Moodles? sigh...
The main difference between a blog and a wiki is that contributors can edit portions of the wiki information but on a blog you can only add your comments.
So, what is a Moodle? or have I simply lost my noodle?
Dear Holly,
I just started using Moodle last year to design and deliver online and blended courses and I still have a LOT to learn, but I’ll share some of my ideas with you.
Moodles are a kind of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) or Learning/Content Management Systems (L/CMS) as you mentioned before. This is the entry at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moodle
The way I see it, Moodles are used to create virtual classrooms for online courses. Moodles are complex systems that have many tools including chat rooms, blogs, forums, wikis as well as tracking and scoring systems since they aim at providing a platform to deliver whole courses. While you may open courses to anyone, in general, they are password protected and are meant for a particular group of students.Also, while they are “open source” or “free software”, the installation process requires technical assistance.
Blogs, instead, are communication tools aimed at developing reflections and conversations which are open to the world and they are very easy to set up and run. That’s why they are appropriate for teachers who only need to complement their face to face classes. If we were to deliver a whole course online, we would have to use a wider suite of tools just are we are doing with our session. ;)
My 2 cents,
Dear Larien,
You are doing a good job with blogs and wikis, so don't worry about Moodle right now. One step at a time!
BTW, I love noodles! :)
Hugs
You're doing a great job elaborating upon the definition of a blog, a wiki and a website and all answers have added some new info.
As for Moodle (I've taken a couple of online courses through it) is an online course management platform. That means you can store your course material there, communicate both synchronous and asynchronously, retrieve student and trainer action statistics, administer evaluations, and everything you need to deliver e-learning courses. But I don't know why Smilin7 uses the word "moodle" as a generic word. As far as I know, Moodle is just one learning platform. Would you please enlighten us on this?
Have fun blogging!
Hi ya!
ok this is what I've figured out: a blog isa type of website...but you are able to modify it according to your needs and people can add on their comments.
A website is more complicated: you can only "read", you can't add comments and it is made up of a coding language.
Well, a wiki...it's also a sort of website, but unlike a website you can add comments and have conversations with other people...right?
Hope I got it right!
I think the only difference between blog and a wiki is that wiki's lend themselves to collaboration. Both can be used for so many different purposes as well as be organized in a variety of different structures and formats. What they both provide is a means for personalizing communication online.
Yvonne C
Well I don't know if the main difference between these three utilities come from the fact that they are edited in such a different way. Websites are slower and more complicated to update. Wikis and blogs are updated immediately after you have edited them, it saves you time and this is the most important feature for me.
Cheers. Angeles
I will try to say what I think they are....
Blog is a journal and I do agree what "techtribe" said.
A wiki is a colaborative space where users can create, edit and share ideas, but also the blog... it can be a colaborative tool where we can have many participants editing, posting, etc.
And about the web site the only difference I can see is that we do have hyperlinks in it but they are a little bit more difficult to deal if you are not an expert.
I am still thinking about it....
Cheers, Camila Sousa
Dear all,
You're all doing such an incredible job here building knowledge together.
I just wanted to add the inquisitive factor here. Some of you are saying that a blog is like a website, but with the comment feature, and a wiki is a place for collaboration, right?
But, then, don't you think that blogs can be collaborative as well? In your opinion, why would you choose a wiki or a blog for your classroom? Do you think they serve the same purpose?
To help you understand the nuances of each online tool, take a look at a Wiki and a blog I had for the same class:
Top Flex Blog
Top Flex Wiki
Let's keep the discussion flowing. Very interesting insights!
Carla Arena
Explorations
Hi
A Blog is a place where someone can
share information,links and pictures or let off steam.
Other people can post comments on the Blog but the original entry can only be changed by its writer.
A Wiki is a place where people can co edit a document or keep a record of things that need to be done or references. The documents can be altered by any member of the wiki and a trail shows who changed what.Also a wiki can be restored if someone uses bad language for example it can be erased.
A website is a searchable information site the main difference to blogs and wikis is that other than seding an email to the site owner websites tend to be oneway whereas blogs and wikis go two or more ways.
Sheila
Hi blogging mates,
How wonderful it's having an online space to share our thoughts and comments!
In my opinion, a Website is a static Web tool to insert information related to a specific area, institution, or topic. It can be accessed by many users but the user cannot interact either with the owner or other users.
On the contrary, a Wiki is an interactive Web tool, which allows us to include specific information there, but also interact with the owner and users. It has a tremendous advantage; it allows editions as many times as necessary. It's great for collaborative work.
A blog? Well, I guess it looks like the wiki. It is also an interactive Web tool, which promotes discussions about a specific o various topics. In the ELT field, it's excellent to promote reading and writing. In sum, it's a space for reflections, sharing ideas, opinions and comments.
Which one is the best? Uhmm, I guess it depends on our objectives and purposes.
Warm hugs from Caracas-Venezuela,
Evelyn
Noodles? Moodles?
Smilin7 (aka Holly) chiming back in...
Larien, Moodles are fun (and so are noodles!)... www.moodle.org can confuse you further if you wish -- but I agree with the step-by-step suggestion --
As to Claudia's query: "But I don't know why Smilin7 uses the word "moodle" as a generic word. As far as I know, Moodle is just one learning platform. Would you please enlighten us on this?"
Grins! copied directly from this site: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7478 "The word Moodle was originally an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment....It's also a verb that describes the process of lazily meandering through something, doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity."
from www.moodlerooms.com comes this explanation: The word "Moodle" is constructed of "muse" and "doodle." Moodling is a process of creatively meandering through the various activities of a course, tinkering towards insight and creativity. One of the major reasons Moodlers love this software is that online communication allows for time and space to think before immediately responding."
So, I love the 'excuse' to use moodle as a verb! and I still claim to be a moodle maniac!
blog on, moodle on, doodle on, muse on, noodle on,
Holly
Dear Holly,
So let's keep blogging on Moodling or Moodling on blogging. Whatever you want!
Thanks for the explanation, though we should really get back to our musings on blogs and wikis so as not to scare the ones who are really starting to grasp the concept of blogs and wikis. :=))
I'm eagerly waiting for your blog post about your MOODLE addiction!
Keep on noodling, or moodling?!
Beijos.
Dear Sheila and Evelyn,
Right on! Blogs and wikis can be as interactive and collaborative as we wish. It all depends on the purposes you set for them.
The fact that in wikis we can have as many editions as we wish for a page adds is a great feature of this online tool, as pointed out by Evelyn and others.
But still, I'm curious to know your insights on the following questions:
In your opinion, why would you choose a wiki over a blog, or vice-versa, for your classroom? Do you think they serve the same purpose? When would you use one or the other?
Check my other comment above.
Waiting for your insights.
Hi everyone!
I can't see the difference between using a wiki or a blog yet.
Both are collaborative and interactive tools, very useful for practising reading and writing. I liked Carla's blog and wiki. The difference I see is that a wiki is more complete, it has syllabuses, scheules, explanations, reading material.
Well, I hope we can get a good final idea!;)
Hi there folks!
After reading our on-going wiki-blog and website discussion, I've finally manage to understand what a wiki is all about.
Now, answering to Carla's suggestion on blogs' purpose I just want to add that concerning the learning and teaching process a blog offers a many of purposes: to communicate, interact, as Consuelo previously said, to engage students so that they broaden their horizons outside the classroom; in a teacher's point of view blogs can help to supervise students; to achieve learning aims; to promote literacy, sociability, criticism, etc.
that's all for now, see you later alligators ;-)
PatSoares
Hello everyone,
I had no idea what to say about blogs and wikis because I really don't know anything about these things. This is my first contact with these tools, and I do think I'll be learning a lot.
Anyway, after reading all of your ideas and thoughts, I think I got it.
Thanks!!! I'm very happy!!!
Angela
Hi everyone, I think (after reading your definitions that everything is already said, but anyway, here I go) that a web site is a "place" where you just can access to information, files, links, adverts too, but you don't have enough space to interact with peers. A wiki is a collaborative space where you can read the comments of others, add new ideas and in some cases make corrections and edit the existing comments. Finally a blog is a space to share ideas and interact with others.
Bye.
I am still not sure I understand the difference.
A wiki seems more organised. It is like an online book. And the fact that it is collaborative makes it great for class projects.
A blog is, as many people have said before, an online journal. It can be collaborative as well, but because the content stays on the blog in reverse order, I think it is great for the students to become aware of their own progress.
I wish I could be more precise.
Natasa
Hi Everyone!
Sorry for joining this discussion so late. But on the other hand, I was like a bad student lagging behind. In fact I had an advantage as reading all the posting I gradually managed to build a more-over clear idea about a blog, a wiki and a website is:) Thanks a lot for all your help!
I would agree with Natasa, that wiki looks more suitable for a class /group project. It looks to me something like a place for writing numerous drafts before you finally submit your paper. Whereas, a blog looks like a place to display the final result + accompanying discussion.
thanks for introducing into the "moodle - noodle " world:)
nataliya perun
Hello everyone, sorry I come late to the debate. I've read all commnents and think I've managed to grasp the difference now. For a start I liked Carla's distinction between one-way communication chanel Web 1.0 and two-way communication Web 2.o to explain the difference between a website and blog or wiki. Then, thinking on the pedagogical side I agree that wikies can be used for project work with multiple authors, as it allows to make changes; whereas blogs might be used for expanding class tasks,for example, or for sharing info with parents and students. I'm so glad to share with you this process of knowledge!
Hello All,
I know that the main difference between wikis and blogs on one side and websites on the other is that the former are interactive (Web 2.0) while the latter is not interactive (Web 1.0).
I guess a wiki is different as it can be edited by the visitors to the wiki (am not sure about password use there).. a blog is open to any visitor to only leave a comment, but not to edit the content of the blog.
A website is as Carla said a one-way communication tool; we can read, listen, or watch content without having any role there.
Am not sure how correct I'm, but I'm certainly waiting for some feedback.
Love
Dear all,
I’m glad to see how much progress we’ve made working out the differences and similarities of these tools. Each comment surely adds an important point or a timely question to our discussion.
Natasa mentioned the fact that blog posts are published in reverse chronological order. Wikis, in contrast, have non-linear navigational structures (Wikipedia) although you can organize content by editing the sidebar for easy access to pages.
Now that most of us have identified some of the main features of blogs and wikis and we’ve seen some examples such as the ones Carla A. shared with us, we can explore some more ideas on how to use these tools with our students.
I found Nataliya’s comment on how these tools can harness the writing process very interesting since I’ve tried a similar approach, but using the tools for different stages. I’ve used the blog with my students to engage them and brainstorm ideas on a writing topic and the wiki to draft the different individual versions. Although I still haven’t “systematized” this approach, I’d like to go deeper into it this year.
Can you think of other ways in which you can integrate these tools into your teaching?
It's never late to join the discussion.
Let’s keep blogging about it!
Elsa, Portugal
Hi!
I'm still not sure if I understood the difference between Blog, Wiki and Web page but, here it goes:
to create a web page we need to know HTML, a coded language that specifies every action we take in it. Web pages are mostly used by companies to introduce services.
Blogs are mostly used by individuals who want to keep a personal journal or in a way to share ideas with a particular group about a particular topic. To create a blog we don't need to know HTML language.
A wiki allows us to create and edit web contents and we don't need special tools or a special knowledge.
Weel, I think I will understand these terms better as we go on with the course!
Best regards,
Elsa
blogs don't need HTML language
I think blog is a personal journal and wiki can be created and edited by different people
Elena
Good job, Elsa!
No HTML to start a blog; just user-friendly ready-made templates!
Anyway, with time we'll learn to identify some basic HTML codes to make minor changes or to post links in our comments, for example.
Wow, what a host of responses! Will we all read them? I have to admit I'm dashing this off without having gone through all 45 so far.
To me a blog is not a blog without an RSS feed (so you can subscribe to its posts, which are in backwards chronological order, and it should allow comments to be posted, as you see here. It might have other features as well, but these are essential. Blogs tend to have the creator's opinion dominate, with others able to get in words edgewise. They are excellent for reflection and display of discoveries.
Wikis are excellent for collaboration, and contributors each get equal weight. They look more like websites. RSS feeds normally give you histories of changes, and you subscribe to these updates. You can revert them to previous states. They look like websites.
But a website is a static top down means of communication. Interaction tends to be limited. They are great if you can find a host for yours, and if you want to write on them but not invite interaction (though you could create a dynamic website through asp or php scripting).
The hosting and scripting in a website require expertise whereas blogs and wikis are generally user friendly, and hosted for free and (so far) forever.
Hi Vance and partners
I am not very sure about the term RSS. I´ve seen it, but still do not get the idea. Could anyone tell me about it?
Dear Carla and all,
After rechecking the workshop wiki and blog and examining the new wiki and blog posted by Carla (Flex) I think I gained new insight-may be I'm wrong.
I think that If I have a class project, and I want to send my students weekly assignment, I have to use a wiki. I may use a wiki to compile the resources students will be using as well as their final edited work...
However, I may use the blog for discussion one issue and gather ideas-just as we are doing now. We are using the blog to come out with new definitions, find the differences between wiki, website, and blog-I think the wiki and the website aren't used for such a purpose.
In the blog sample posted by Carla, I found only items relaed to Flex 6, for example.
Anyway, I just jotted down the ideas that came to my mind when I reexamined the three samples.
Hoda
One more difference: I can only edit the wiki.. I think this is great!
Can you think of other ways in which you can integrate these tools into your teaching?
Because I work with small children, I would rather have them working on a blog, because the wiki would allow them to much freedom to edit and change stuff around. With a blog, we can set users rights to edit and change content accordingly to their knowledge of web tools. Small children are very exploratory and curious, so as a teacher, in my practice, i'd like to give them very clear instructions and guidance on what to do and where. The wiki could work for the older ones (10 year olds), like a whole class portfolio, maybe with individual files for each student. These older kids would probably like to be in charge of the wiki, of organizing it and displaying right content for each task, I don't know... I see endless possibilities for each - blog and wiki, though the wiki, at least the free version, is not very editable, and you can only use some tools with it.
Trouble is how to select activities and organize content...
Vance, thanks for your summary of the differences. Pretty straightforward. I agree with you that RSS is certainly one of the elements that can keep the conversation flowing on a blog.
Consuelo asked about RSS. Don't worry Consuelo. There are many who still have no clue about it, but soon we'll be talking a lot about it. Wait until Week 3! We're getting there.
Ani, I find it wonderful that you're already starting to think how to incorporate blogging in your teaching with the little ones and we'll explore the possibilities on Week 4 on. If you start this kind of reasoning from now, chances are that when you create your blog next week you'll already have an idea of its purposes and your goals with it.
Hoda, what you wrote is just fantastic! It was exactly my point and you summarized what the differences between a blog and a wiki are...If you want to work a project, or have the syllabus or your classes, share information about your classes, it's more advisable to have a wiki. You can collaborate there, students can have their own pages. There are so many options...As for blogs, they are the spaces to trigger conversations, engagement, development of critical-thinking skills, a dialogue. Of course, you can have that on a Wiki, but through the comment area of a blog, discussions can be really developed in meaningful ways.
In the past I used to set up blogs for each presentation I gave to put all the resources for participants. Then, I realized that I wasn't giving a purposeful use for the blogs, as they were not meant to be a merely informational space. When this dawned on me, I started to use wikis to its fullest.
Take a look the wiki Erika and I use to aggregate all our Workshops and professional development resources:
BrazilBridges.
Thanks for sharing your discoveries with us!
Wait for much more.
Carla
Explorations
I must admit I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of comments and mails in connection with this course...So much also to read and chew through...A blog I suppose is an online journal or diary...to be viewed by others but not edited by others...Have i got it? A wiki is a collobarative tool for working on assignments together...editing, adding,extra..
Lindsay
Hi Everybody,
Reading your comments has been really enlightnening. Here's how I see it.
Considering how people can interact with the information presented in these various formats, we could create a scale demonstrating the level of interaction. Firstly, there is the web site in which interaction seems to be minimum compared to other tools. It allows an exchange of ideas between the web site creator(s) and its readers but not between readers because it's limited to emails. Readers, for example, aren't able to read what other readers wrote.
A Blog, as I see it, is more interactive. The "comments area" allows readers to interact both with the blog's owner(s) and the readers. The content is organized in a way that gives it a dynamic characteristic. Unlike the content of a web site, it can be tailored simultaneously by different people - although there seems to be limitations to it.
Finally, there is the wiki. It seems to be as interactive as a blog but ideal for groups which work collaboratively to produce one common result.
I'm still trying to figure out how to integrate these tools into teaching. I have used blogs as a display of what I have used in the classes and what my students have produced but I feel there are much more possibilities I could explore.
I accessed Carla Arena's blogs and wikis and, correct me if I'm wrong, the wikis seem to be more focused on writing and reading. What about the other abilities? Can I develop other abilities with a wiki?
Hugs from rainy Uberlândia, Brazil.
Fabiana Bridi
Dear Lindsay,
You said "A blog I suppose is an online journal or diary...to be viewed by others but not edited by others...". It's kind of true because when you write a post, generally it's your authorship, so others don't edit. The readers certainly not. However, if you have a blog with many editors (in this blog, for example, all moderators are editors), they are all able to edit the posts. However, there are different levels of editors. There are those who can just write a post, but not edit posts which they are not authors. Another case is when you set the blog to have many administrators. Then, they have full editing capabilities in all posts. In the case of our students, if you decide to have just one class blog with many editors, then a better option could be the one that they are editors who can only edit their own post.
Did you get it? Please, keep asking and speaking up your mind.
Regards.
Dear Fabiana,
You mentioned "I have used blogs as a display of what I have used in the classes and what my students have produced".
Don't you think a wiki would be more adequate in this case according to your own considerations on blogs and wikis? Aren't you displaying the final product of your class?
You also stated that "I accessed Carla Arena's blogs and wikis and, correct me if I'm wrong, the wikis seem to be more focused on writing and reading. What about the other abilities? Can I develop other abilities with a wiki?
You surely can! On wikis, you can embed You Tube videos for listening practice, and students can post their own recordings made in springdoo or evoca, for example. As you can see, wikis can be used to practice any skill. However, if you want to discuss the topics your students are listening to, for example, you might consider an interactive blogging activity!
Look at this example here: e-Learning Listening Activity
Hope it helps.
A blog is an online diary related to one subject, edited by the blog owner, with the latest addition at the top of the page. A wiki is a page that links to other web pages that can be added to and edited by anybody. A website is a read only collection of web pages?
My take from all I've read is that Wikis are the most public of all the three web media. The wiki all multiple collaboration among peolpe of like interest. They all contribute to the content of the wiki; edit materials, upload files on mutual interests.
Blogs, originating from web logs, are actually personal diaries which the owners may wish ti share with others on the internet. The administrator defines who uses it, gives the requisite password, and directs issues on the site. He can be contacted; suggestions can be made to him; readers can influence content; but the decision of what apperas ultimatemately rests on him.
As for the website, it is any address on the web to which anyone with the address can reach. I notice that some of us, in trying to make a difference between the three words forgot that wikis and blogs are also websites. While all wikis and blogs are websites, not all websites are wikis and blogs. Logically, some websites are simply tools used by their creators to spread information of very individualistic nature.
Imight sound a little confident in some of my answers, but I can assure you that I wait for corrections both from the moderators and other webheads.
Hi Carla,
Thanks a lot for the tips.
I simply loved the way you organized the listening activity and what a lovely and moving listening you chose. It was really inspiring! (You're definitely making a difference in other people's lives.)
I'm sure I still have a long way to go but I feel I've already learned a lot here.
Thanks again!
Fabiana Bridi
Dear Fabiana,
We are all learning tons here! I'm glad you enjoyed the . As you saw there, students were really inspired and eager to comment. Note that it was not something I graded them for, but because it touched them personally, they were eager to share their own views.
So, I'm sure that by now you can see the potentially different uses you can give to wikis and blogs, right?
Cheers!
Dear Austen and Lyndon,
I'd like to share with you some interesting points Vance Stevens shared with us about blogging being a many-way communication tool, much more than just online journals. They can also be simply personal reflective entries, but you can attract readers and engage them in meaningful, deep conversations depending on the way you use your blogs.
Here's what Vance shared with us in a YGs discussion: "Ideally you should pick as a topic for your blog
something that you would like to have an online conversation about. I've
heard people (who don't know better) say things like "blogs are just online
journals, aren't they?" This implies a one-way information transfer. If
that's the case you might as well put up a static web page. Of course blog
software can make it a lot EASIER for someone to put up a 'page' somewhere.
But thinking of a blog in terms of unidirectional information flow misses
the point considerably. A good blog will invite comments. If you turn
'trackback' on in your blog then you can see when other people are linking
to you from their blogs. Appropriate use of TAGS (labels or categories in
some blog software) will reveal your blog to people who search Technorati or
Google Blog Search for blog posts on topics of interest to them.
So, true, the topic of your blog can be anything that interests YOU. But if
you think of it in terms of Web 2.0, read-write, many-way conversation
opportunities, then this might help you to direct your postings to things
that are of interest to others as well.
This interest doesn't have to be popular. Blogs and other web 2.0 tools
address the great need lacking in conventional publishing for vehicles for
communication on niche issues, what has been called the 'long tail'. It may
turn out that what interests you might be of great interest to someone
else. A blog is a good way to find that other person, other people, and
discover and communicate with a small but dedicated group.
I hope this helps you conceive of your topic. Incidentally, you can
experiment with topics by starting an acct somewhere, with blogger for
example, and keep several blogs. I have a lot of them, trying out
different blog tools, mostly forgotten. I've settled into my main blog now.
Vance
Vance's ideas might help you understand the true potential of blogs if their concept is fully grasped.
Keep sharing!
Carla A.
Sorry for being very late to the discussion.
In order not to repeat what has been said about websites (Web 1.0) and the other Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis in our case) so far, I'd like to comment on the on-going discussion about the distinction between a blog and a wiki.
As many of you have stated clearly, both can be interactive and collaborative. then, which one to choose? I think it depends on your purpose.
As far as I understand, wiki is more appropriate if you give info about a project, a class or a syllabus - just as we have on our wiki. It can be used as a reference source because we are more interested in finding the relevant topic we are searching for. the information in wiki is generally organized around certain topics. On the other hand, blogs are the platforms where the discussions, reflections take place. In other words, blogs are our playgrounds of creativity and reflection.
Warm Hugs,
Sibel Korkmazgil
Dear Sibel,
That's exactly the point!
I'd just add that though wikis are a wonderful and effective place to for reference information, it can be built on a very collaborative basis. What you see on our wiki space is the result of months of sharing, learning and collaboration among the Blogging Team!
Thanks for adding you bit to connect the pieces we've been discussing here. That's the beauty of blogging!
Cheers.
Hi everyone, Karen from NH.
I think I am going to have to use the tools more to completely understand when to use a blog vs. a wiki. A website is easy, unless you own it, you can't change any information on the page. A wiki can be changed by anyone who has been given the rights to change it and it is my understanding that you use a wiki when you want to present a list of information. A blog is setup and maintained by one person (or group). That person or group posts information/comments/opinions. Others then can post comments on the blog post.
Am I close?
That's it, Karen. You got the idea! We hope to see your blog soon.
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