*My+Term+1+Reflections+++++(a+summary)


 * 1) //Summarize themes in my blogs on my Edublog// Act & Reflect
 * 2) //Review the content on my Wiki-Pages// Evaluate & Integrate
 * 3) __//Review and Summarize//__ content in my Wiki Report of Use Act & Reflect
 * 4) Summarize themes in my colleagues responses Commune & Collaborate
 * 5) Review and summarize what I found in my research Explore & Research
 * 6) //Report on this using some kind of Presentation tool// Create a Keynote
 * 7) Listen and Reflect on the input I receive on my Inquiry Project from my Mentor Group Participate & Mentor

= __1. Summary of the Themes in my Blog (from Sept-Nov, 2011)__ =
 * the first thing is that I found it unnerving to be solely responsible for my own learning (as outlined in Brookfield's 'Adult'-agogy)
 * CLEAR, ACCESSIBLE
 * able to SUPPORT a teacher as they 'ventured in'
 * able to make SPECIFIC PLANS based on the info on the site
 * like 'rubbing two sticks together' -- EXPLOSIVE possibilities
 * PROBLEMS (noted on 5 entries...)
 * noting that ANYONE involved in a CREATIVE enterprise encounters BARRIERS and PROBLEMS on the way. The key is whether or not you believe the end goal makes it worth the effort to get there...! Thus the main metaphor I chose for my presentation, "MINING FOR GOLD"

=__ 2. Summary of the Themes noted in my Record of Wiki use __=

[|Record of Wiki Use @ MG]
 * __Div. 3__ IIIII
 * __Div. 4__ IIIIIII
 * __Div. 5__ IIIII
 * __LST__ IIIIIII
 * __SBT__ IIIIIIII
 * __Admin__ IIIIIII

To my surprise the record of use is pretty evenly distributed across the 6 contexts in which I used Wikis. In almost all cases my own response was that it was of high value (often over 5/5). The comments from those I worked with -- from all but a few -- were positive.

= __3. Review of the Content on my Wiki-pages__ =



Used for storing shared documents relating to the particular needs of each group. These are dynamic and can be added to or modified @ any time.

=__ 4. Summary of the Themes in my Colleague's Responses __=


 * First off I'm glad that the majority of the comments were positive about it value and that many saw why it was applicable to what we do as teachers. My brother-in-law informed me that 30% implementation is considered the watershed to get that all important momentum known in marketing circles as 'traction'. At that rate I am well on my way and can pretty much consider it worth implementing and pursuing. Apparently there will always be nay-sayers opposed to any form of change and that it is not worth the time and effort to convince them otherwise. My only regret is that because the answers were anonymous I can't address any specific comments or concerns with any particular individual.
 * Comments such as 'imposed on me', 'it felt too cumbersome', do bother me. Other ones (such as having the link easily accessible) just show the ignorance of the respondent (considering that that is something they can do in a moment on their own computer...). While I appreciate the positive comments directed my way it is really most satisfying when my colleagues see the inherit value and logic of using such a medium to store and retrieve information.
 * I find it funny that they commented on 'I want integration for all the SBT info' and that they still prefer face to face. Funny because I see wiki-spaces as being akin to an electronic binder or filing cabinet -- accessible to any member of the group from anywhere. How often has anyone criticized one of these 'old school' technologies for not being a place where people can talk face to face or that -- because they don't hold everything I have from other offices -- that it's of little to no value? To me that's like criticizing a hammer for being a lousy way to cut wires; it's not what it is designed for...
 * Anyways, the thing that most **//surprises// ** me is just how valuable the survey has been to this whole project. When I developed it I did it because I was told it was a good idea. I created it to simply 'cover my bases'. What I got was something that took the entire project to a new level.
 * After looking over the results of my survey somethings bubble to the surface that I had not anticipated -- such as how to promote change and how people both react to and integrate change in their lives.
 * When I undertook this project I was really only thinking that I was going to use a particular Web 2.0 tool to help improve the lines of communication and collaboration between me and my colleagues. I had not even thought @ the time about the resistance some people have to changes of this sort. Prior to this I had not even considered this to be a significant issue.
 * As I read over the comments of my small 'population' of colleagues that I had worked with it soon became apparent that not everyone was as enraptured as I about the merits and benefits of this tool. Suddenly, I found myself actually interested in a conversation in which my brother-in-law (whose job it is to implement change in Health Care) was having with me about things like 'The Tipping Point', Marketing Theory and Maslowe's theory of change. How, I wondered, did I end up in this conversation...?
 * So now I wonder if the road ahead is:
 * 1) to pursue the answer to 'how to promote change in my work environment?' or
 * 2) to look @ ways to train my colleagues in the use of various technologies (such as wiki-spaces)? or
 * 3) to look @ ways I might integrate technology into the work I do with students?

=__ 5. Summary of Research I found related to my Inquriy Project __=

===From, '__Wiki communities in the context of Work Processes'__, Frank Fuchs-Kittowski & Andre Kohler, Univeristy of Leipzig, Germany published in WikiSym '05 ISBN 1-59593-111-2 also: '__Wiki Deployment in the Corporate Setting__' __and, '__Collaboration and Communication via Wiki The Experience of Curtin University Library and Information Service__===
 * These papers looked at the way Wikis provide the opportunity to work together (in a business context) in a non-linear fashion. One draw-back can be that they are 'headless'. The term 'egalitarian' was used in these articles to describe (and decry) the inherit nature of a wiki. In my context @ Maple Green this only happened in the areas where it was appropriate. Where the situation called for more direction I was able to provide that so I wouldn't say it's a s much a problem when the working group is small and easily held accountable.

From '__Corporate Wiki Users: Results of a Survey__' by Majchrzak, Ann and Wagner, Christian Wagner, Dave Yates @ WikiSym '06 ISBN 1-59593-8

 * In this survey the authors found those polled felt that: Wikis are a sustainable tool for their context (the corporate world). Three benefits mentioned: enhanced reputation, work made easier and helping the organization to improve its processes. They felt that Wikis were most applicable to problems requiring novel solutions. This fits my context for the same reasons I would say.

From '__Organizational Wiki as a Knowledge Management Tool'__,_2010

 * This article discusses the use of Wikis in the way I have used them for CTs, SBT, LST and Admin. In it they speak of Wikis as being a powerful way to accomplish this vital aspect of organizational life. I was really glad to find an article that validates this very functional use of these sites. So many articles talk of the way Wikis can be use dot create collaborative projects -- not as a means of information management. Until finding this article I almost thought I was missing something...

From '__Motivating and Enabling Organizational Memory with a Workgroup Wiki__'

 * Though their meaning of the term 'Organizational Memory' is different than mine the title caught my attention because that is precisely what attracts me to use Wikis for our work in the LST and SBT groups. Here is a vehicle that, not only helps us accomplish the task of working together but also builds up the memory of the organization itself. This happens from meeting to meeting but also from year to year and -- possibly -- from 'generation' to 'generation'...

From '__Collaboration Tools, 2.0 Style'__, Library Technology Reports, Article, May 2009, Vol.45 Issue 4, p19-27, 9p ISSN 00242586

 * A widely invigorating article showing all sorts of ways that all sorts of networking sites and tools can be used to promote working together in a Library context. Their discussion of Wikis centered on their ability to collaboratively write, edit, revise and publish documents. For this I found it more helpful to use Google Docs where I worked collaboratively with Admin on some documents and am currently working on an eIEP with the LST. I have, however, found Wikis to be an amazing tool for working collaboratively to share and record information but nothing as formal as an article...

From '__A Taxonomy of Wiki Genres in Enterprise Settings__', _

 * This was a real eye opener and one of those articles that can humble a novice and remind him/her of just how much they yet do not know. Here is a listing of the different kinds of Wikis out there. Fascinating...

From '__Your Personal Learning Network__', by Bauer, William I., Music Educators Journal, Dec 2010, Vol. 97 Issue 2, p37-42, 6p ISSN 00274321

 * A fascinating look at the day in the life of the 'modern' music educator where Wikis are just one of many ways the 'sample' teacher gets inspired by the sharing of new ideas and approaches. In my contexts we are just starting something like this for our pending iPad Pilot project where I have uploaded pictures of the ways in which iPads are being used in the classroom but that is only on a local scale at this point. In the article they are talking about the way a Wiki can connect teachers to each other around the world. For this I did recently take the leap to connect myself with a Wiki on Web 2.0 tools called Educational Origami -- an overwhelming repository of all things Web 2.0. This is an aspects of Wikis I would like to explore more in the days and months ahead.

From '__WikiWikiWebs: New Ways to Communicate in a Web Environment__', by Chawner, Brenda; Lewis, Paul H. Information Technology & Libraries, March 2006, Vol 25 Issue 1, p33-43, 11p Article

 * This article looks at the way in which Wikis can be used -- in a library context -- to manage information. Though it is not the same context it is the same use: information management

From '__On Cloud Nine__' by McCrea, Bridget and Marty Well, T H E Journal Jun/Jul 2011, Vol, 38 Issue 6, p46-51, 4p Article

 * This is perhaps the most inspiring article I came across because it looks at all sorts of Web 2.0 tools and their applications in the classroom. In this case Wikis were being used to allow for student collaboration on Science projects. This is something I had never considered. My use of Wikis has simply been as an online filing cabinet or binder. To think of using it as platform for student projects sounds a lot more fun. Perhaps this is where I'll be headed on my next Inquiry Project.

= __6. Report on My Inquiry Project__ =



=__ 7. Notes on the response of my Colleagues to my Inquiry Report __=