It seems so long since I updated.
The wiki seems to be taking a lot of my time, well, that and the QualIT conference. I have also had my computer re-imaged. That seems to be the standard fix by our IT department. Minor problem with your CD drive? Re-image! Can’t log in? Re-image!! Need a program that doesn’t work with the image? Re-image!!!
So yes, it had to be re-imaged because a program that I needed (or at least will need when I get all the data out of the wiki) caused a conflict between two firewalls. The one on the IMAGE and the one in frelling windoze. And it wouldn’t let me turn it off. Either of them. Because … it’s in the image!
I’ve spent the last week getting my computer back to the way I want it (although I still haven’t got a really pretty image on my desktop). But I don’t know why I spent all that time, because my frustration with windoze led me to ask if I could spend some of my fellowship money on a new computer. The answer was yes! So, shiny new suped up black mac coming my way. As soon as I work out the ordering process (and which connector I need to attach it to the system in the lecture theatres).
But, back to the wiki, well, my classes. I’ve had some great sessions with these students. I did the ExcelL program (for intercultural communication … ‘n’ stuff) and it’s paid off. The first lecture that I did after that, I threw out my lecture notes. I went in with 5 questions. We were supposed to start with definitions of group work and lead into computer supported collaborative work. But, with all the different nationalities represented (I was the only Australian), we spent so much time defining group work and how it played out in different countries, that the effect of teh internet was left behind.
One student questioned why all courses have a group work component. And they do (well almost). For an individualist country, we certainly put a lot of effort into teamwork. But the differences between the countries (which included Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Brazil) was extremely interesting and gave a new understanding to all of us of group work and the different forms it takes. The students have continued to enter bits and pieces to that page and Friday’s which was about Digital Rights Management and Intellectual Property. The students went a bit further this time and linked from the lecture page and created pages about their own countries (sourcing the material and all). It seemed to increase interest in the lecture material (which, being in an Aussie institution, focussed primarily on Aussie issues but also the implications of the Free Trade Agreeement with the US (free trade my … but that’s another story)).
I think I have a paper to write on the unintended consequences of using wikis in multi-cultural classrooms.