Ticar,+Joseph

Individual Contributions: >
 * - Created Elements and Principles of Design
 * - Created Stereotypes in Media
 * - Created First Person Shooter Games
 * - Created Bildungsroman

Edits: > >
 * - Added section "Catholic Church" in Propaganda
 * - Began article on "Pastiche"
 * added "Pastiche in Media" section to Pastiche
 * - Added criticism section to "Borat"
 * - Added sources section to Borat (see above for link)
 * - Added Images section to Anime
 * - Added "examples of anime" section to Anime
 * - Added "into the mainstream" to History of Hip Hop
 * - Added "from the outside" to History of Hip Hop
 * - Added descriptions to game shows in Gameshows
 * - Added examples of Kitsch to Kitsch

=Analysis and Reflection=

1. When first encountering wiki at the beginning of the course.
 * What do you think/feel about this collaborative learning environment ?
 * I think that the collaborative learning environment can be an excellent source for learning. Taking the "many eyes" principle of Linus Torvalds, and applying it to collaborative learning is the same as it is in programming. Many people are able to look at each others work and improve or correct it

The only real problem that I see with Wikispaces is the editor, which can be uncooperative at times, and the navigation bar, which can be overwhelming at times, since there are so many links.


 * What are your expectations for yourself ?
 * Originally, I expected to do two posts + edits every week, but since there is quite a bit of work from other courses, I'm finding it necessary to manage my time well. In the end, my posting and editing has been erratic at best. However, I still set an expectations of at least 5 postings and multiple page edits (of mine and others) before the end of the semester.


 * If you have previously used wiki in another course, describe what you have previously learned and how you want to expand your understanding.
 * In the other course where we used wikis, I learned that it is possible to compile bits of information from other posts and turn them into their own topic.

> >
 * What can you contribute as an experienced participant?
 * Having used wikispaces for three courses, I think that I can contribute advice for inexperienced users of wikispaces who are having trouble navigating the site.

2. Think about the following and answer to the best of your ability:
 * How do you choose which postings to contribute or change? What do you look for?
 * Usually I choose my postings on the density of the topic. For example, if much of it has been elaborated already, then there will not be much else to write about. In contrast, editing stubs is usually the best way to generate a lot of content.


 * What are your thoughts on adding, editing or re-arranging other people's work?
 * I think that editing and rearranging is a good way to see things from the perspective of another; however, having most, if not all, of the original content deleted often makes it feel like my work was not useful.


 * Do you regularly check your own postings for alterations? Has anyone changed your work and how have you felt about it?
 * Yes I do check for alterations. Although people have changed my work, I don't have a problem with it, because the article ends up turning out better than it would have been if it was just my writing. The only time I get really irritated is when people delete my work entirely.

3. **Part 3** My views of collaborative learning have definitely changed since starting this wiki. This is because I have learned that collaborative learning, in some cases, can result in a small chunk of people doing the work, while some do nothing at all. Thus, I have learned that collaborative learning does have its limits.

Suggestions that I would make for possible improvements in the future use of wikis as a collaborative learning tool would be aimed towards making the use of wikis more efficient. For example, in using wikis as a group work tool, I think it would be more effective to have users hand in a paper copy of their work in tandem with posting other items on the wiki to encourage them to avoid doing last minute posts on wikispaces.

One of the things I found productive about wikispaces was that edits could be done at the same time by multiple individuals. Additionally, the ability to post collaborative study notes and chapter summaries helped in gathering material to study for the tests