Buchanan,+James

=Contributions=


 * added Lecture Notes Title pic, Sept 28
 * added Console Wars section, Oct. 17
 * added Warcraft MMORPG Example, Oct 25
 * added Pride of Baghdad graphic novel review page, Nov. 2
 * added U.S. Mid-term Elections section/page, Nov. 7
 * added 10cc quote to Reggae page, Nov. 9
 * added Daily Show link in the Satirical News page, Nov. 12
 * added Allfg.org link to Fun Video Links Page, Nov. 13
 * added PS3 lineup experience to Console Wars section, Nov. 16
 * added Smash my Wii link to Smashing PS3s page, Nov. 23
 * added info on the Smash our Stuff Team to Smashing PS3's page, Nov. 23
 * added South Park to Hierarchy of Media Genres, Dec. 7

Questions
1. When first encountering wiki at the beginning of the course.
 * What do you think/feel about this collaborative learning environment ?
 * What are your expectations for yourself ?
 * If you have previously used wiki in another course, then describe what you have previously learned and how you want expand your understanding.
 * What can you contribute as an experienced participant?

When I first learned about this Wiki project at the beginning of the course, I thought it was interesting but slightly confusing as well. At the start of this term, the Wiki was really empty and felt kind of 'cold'. But within a week or two, it started to take shape and come alive. People started adding different sections, adding pictures, external links and articles, which gave the Wiki a feel of.... well a Wiki. I found that as more people added content, the Wiki grew at a much faster pace, almost exponentially. I think the reason for this is because as people add things, other people may not only comment on newly added items, but may be inspired to add something completely new themselves. The only contact that I have had with a Wiki is through [|Wikipedia]. I have never personally added something to it, I'm not really sure why... well that’s not exactly true. I have added one article to Wikipedia, but it was fictional, and its intent was to make fun of one of my friends. However, Wikipedia promptly removed the article, as its authenticity was questionable.

My personal expectations for the Wiki are to add something meaningful or interesting, rather then adding something just for the sake of adding something. I think when something meaningful or insightful is added it improves the Wiki as a whole, rather then adding a small ‘blerp’ that has no relevance, which may in some cases detract from the Wiki. So far I've added a title pic for the lecture notes section, a ‘blerp’ about console wars, as well as an example of an MMORPG in the hierarchy of media genres section. I am also enjoying what other people are adding, and how the Wiki is constantly evolving; people are always adding something new, or creating new sections/images etc. I think the Wiki provides an accessible forum for idea sharing among the entire class, something that cannot really be achieved through the lecture or tutorials. In this Wiki, everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute, and no one member (besides the profs) is above another. Whatever my contributions to this Wiki may be, I hope that others find them useful, interesting, or entertaining. If I can put something on here that someone may have never seen or considered before, then I'll be happy with my contributions.

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?
 * What are your thoughts on adding, editing or re-arranging other people's work?
 * Do you regularly check your own postings for alterations? Has anyone changed your work and how have you felt about it?

The majority of my postings to date have been the starting of new threads rather then comments. I have added new sections such as 'Console Wars', 'Warcraft MMOPRG Example', 'Pride of Baghdad', and most recently a discussion about the 'U.S. Mid-term Elections'. I think that I prefer to add new sections rather then make comments is because I enjoy adding something completely new to the Wiki, that hasn't been brought up before. I have also added some media content such as the Lecture Notes title graph. I would like to add more original media, but my graphics skills aren't the best. And after seeing some of the phenomenal images that some people have posted, I think its best if I left the graphic work up to them. I have posted most of my postings because I thought that they would help to contribute to the overall vibe of the wikispace, as well as create some discussion among people.

So far, I have read a bunch of people's work, but I have been reluctant to edit it. I think the main reason for not editing other people's work is because I feel that I shouldn't just edit for the sake of editing, but it should have some purpose. I have noticed however that some links I have put in sometimes disappear, which I am not sure is do to mistakes or people purposely changing them. I think it is probably due to the Wikispace editor, which I find does not always work as intended.

The main reason why I check my work is to see if people have commented on it. I feel that if my work can generate some sort of discussion, then it has benefited the wikispace. I'd also like to see what other people's opinions may be on the stuff I've posted; whether they agree or disagree with me, or just want to make a general comment. The only thing that people have changed so far has been some links, but other then that I haven't noticed any major changes to my work. However, I have seen people respond to some of my postings, such as my posting about the 'Console Wars', but I have been somewhat disappointed that no one has responded to my posting about the recent U.S Mid-term Elections, which I thought would generate some decent discussion or debate.

Overall, I began this Wiki experience fairly un-certain of how it would turn out or evolve. As the weeks have gone by since the term started, I have seen this Wiki grow to include a variety of academic and non-academic content. I find that I even visit this Wiki when I'm bored, and just looking for some insightful or entertaining content. I also find that when I see something on the news, or any other sources, I try to think if I can write something up about it on the Wiki.

3. As a final reflection for the course, post your thoughts and ideas on:
 * challenges or limitations you experienced while working collaboratively on wiki
 * advantages or benefits from participating in this wiki
 * things about the course you thought worked well and/or suggested improvements

Through this wiki experience, I have came across some challenges. The first challenge was that I was not always able to edit pages when I wanted to. For the course CCT410, I am currently under going an internship at [|Toro Magazine], and sometimes when I have free time I check out the CCT 300 wiki. Unfortunately, the Safari browser on the particular Mac I use at Toro does not support visual editing, which has limited my contributions at work. This is not to say that I can't go home and make edits, but I often find that I would forgot what exactly I wanted to edit when I got home. I've noticed that a lot of edits have been a 'spur-of-the-moment' action, and if edits are delayed, they often don't come out as originally idealized (or at all.) The second limitation that I have experienced with this wiki relates back to the issue of postponing edits. I've noticed that sometimes I may start a topic, and will forget about it over time, and forget to finish it. But this can work positively in that it may open the door for other people to add to it, which is in the collaborative attitude the wikispace promotes.

By far, I think that there have been much more positive then negative outcomes of this wiki. I found it really 'cool' to witness first hand the evolution of the wikispace; it began as a bland empty shell and has grown into a dynamic community. Like I've mentioned before in previous responses, I really find it interesting to see the wikispace change on a daily, if not hourly basis. When people posted their projects for Assignment 3 on the front page, I got the opportunity to check them out, something which I wouldn't do if I had to search for their projects manually. I also find that the wiki provides an equal playing field among the class for participation, because no one (except the Prof's) holds higher authority over another person. The wikispace as a computer-mediated environment also enables people to contribute regardless of their physical location, but also lets people contribute semi-anonymously, which helps people who are shy. I also like how the wiki is a hybrid between visual (images) and textual data, which unlike most textbooks (although not McCloud's books, they were very visual), provides appealing content. This hybrid between visual and textual data gives students an opportunity to display their creative abilities (eg. the cool title pics for sections), giving the wiki its own unique 'style' and sense of design.

This has been my first experience with a wiki, and it was really interesting. I came into the wiki unsure of how well it would turn out. In all honesty, when I first heard that we would be marked for our contributions, I wasn't too eager about contributing, and thought this would be a tedious, pain of an assignment. But once the wiki began growing, I found that I would contribute not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I think willingness to contribute is key element to a successful wiki, because it is only a collaborative learning environment if people collaborate. The only thing that I can suggest could be improved would be the menus; sometimes they would get really crowded and then would suddenly be changed. This would kind of throw me off and confuse me, but its not too hard to adjust to new menus. And I also guess that it is necessary to ensure order in the end. Oh, and a spell-checking feature in the editor, because I am a terrible speller and victim of ‘MS Word Spell Check Dependency Syndrome’ (MSWSCDS). I know that this feature is not up to the Prof’s, but I found it kind of annoying. Overall, this has been a unique experience and I feel that I've been able to make good academic use out of this wiki, for not only a greater depth in knowledge in this course, but greater depth of knowledge in general.