World of Wikis - WoW

Prequel: If you are reading this without knowledge of our project this is a brief introduction to what we were aiming for.  For our ICT elective we had to create a digital movie and a resource to accomany this.  As a group we chose the theme of Dundee as a city study then narrowed this to focus on school trip venues in and around Dundee.  We created three short digital movies and these were incorporated into a wikispace designed around our theme.  Our wikispace was designed for teacher use and there are elements that may be used with pupils.  

The presentations are over and what a relief.  There was a time when I didn't think we would get there but at the last gasp it all came together and the remaining members of our group all completed our sections.  I say remaining as we seem to have lost a member along the way but that is not my story to tell.  We started as a group of four and ended as a group of three and that is all the detail you are going to get.

We are definitely a group now and even though there have been issues a plenty we did achieve a great deal and I think this was evident during the presentations.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing and most commonly linked to reflecting on improvements that could have been made over the course of a project.  With hindsight it is probably even clearer that we took on a big project, bigger than was necessary, and with a bigger project put more pressure on ourselves in terms of workload.  We also had a few minor trust issues with completion times for allocated jobs and when working with student teachers neurotic can sometimes be a good adjective to use, although controlling is a milder description.  It was often difficult to hold back and not take over the entire project, see earlier entry on this.  Some people just work better when deadlines are forming imposing shadows over them and some people hyperventilate when those same shadows begin to highlight the work that is still to be completed.  While these reactions can cause friction it is important to take a step back and learn from each other.  To understand is sometimes more important than the actual task (in this case task completion was essential), if we can develop both our understanding of how we work and learn and how others work and learn and relate the similarities and differences then the learning itself is more meaningful.

To transfer this to a classroom you may link to the concept that skill development can be more productive than knowledge development.  In my opinion they go hand in hand: with the development of skills you will build upon knowledge, as you build upon knowledge you practice skills.  The idea of "acting as a sensitive guide" is highlighted by Myhill and Warren (2005); through having the experience of reaching a solution as a learner when working in groups you are provided with an ideal opportunity, as a student teacher, to experience when intervention is needed and when the teacher needs to encourage pupils to reach a solution with limited intervention.  Being able to hold back rather than step in as a teacher is an essential skill for us to foster.

What we did manage well was developing links with other agencies through the visitors attractions that we filmed at.  These were Sensation, RRS Discovery and the Botanic Garden, all Dundee.  The people that we met and worked with were incredible in helping us with anything we needed and Sensation, in particular, set up exhibits for us to film at.  We cannot thank everyone enough for their assistance.  To be able to begin to build links that will be beneficial in both our teaching practice and our future classroom practice is invaluable.  There are many resources available but having a guide in choosing the most appropriate, from a specialist in a particular field, cannot be measured.

The rollercoaster of production has also provided a real sense of ownership of the project for us as group members and with this in mind we have a pride in our finished work.  That is not to say it is perfect, I still develop a twitch when thinking of the audio, but it is ours.

If you would like to have a look at our finished work, including the videos I am attaching a link

HERE

We hope you enjoying viewing our work.