andrewskara

=Contributions:=

>
 * Was one-third of the collective force known as Maverick Jamming Co. and helped develop, design, and implement our ideas via the wiki. [|Check it out here.]
 * Created and posted on the "Talk Radio" section. Check it out here.
 * Created and posted on the "Howard Stern" section. Check it out here.
 * Numerous grammatical and structural errors were corrected in spelling mistakes and the like whenever I had a chance to get on the Wiki.
 * Posted on the "Final Test Feedback" section. Check it out here.
 * Posted on the "Our Final Thoughts" section. Check it out here.

=Analysis and Reflection:=


 * 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, describe what you have previously learned and how you want to expand your understanding.**
 * **What can you contribute as an experienced participant?**

I like the idea of having one central, collaborative learning environment, as I think it's beneficial to all students to have such an abundance of course material constantly being revised, edited, and updated can only be considered a welcome addition. I don't really have that high of an expectation for myself with respect to the Wikispace, I know in general I'm a constant procrastinator, but I'll give it my best shot. Since this is the first time I've ever used a Wiki, I cannot consider myself experienced and therefore the last two questions do not pertain to me.


 * 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?**

Grammatical errors (not to suggest my writing isn't full of them :) are something that doesn't take too long to change and shows you've taken the time to respectfully read what someone else has taken the time to write/post about. I'm not a fan of Wikipedia for the simple fact that too many edits and revisions by people who don't have a valid clue as to what is going on is a dangerous thing. That's one of my fears about the internet, while it can be an extremely useful tool for both research and recreation, it can put the power in the hands of those that may wish to abuse it. The adage of "too many hands in the cookie jar" applies here, if I was working extremely hard trying to come up with something and someone just took 5 minutes to change a crucial component, I'd quite honestly be angered. In the same token, though, if I was working late throughout the night typing away at some sort of assignment and a fellow classmate took 15 minutes to read/revise/edit the grammatical and structural elements then I'd be very happy about it. Goes both ways I guess. As I haven't really posted anything of relevance, no one has been able to revise or change anything I've done, I think my aforementioned feelings about it would stay the same in this regard, though.


 * 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**

I found my real challenges or limitations being the lack of time I've had this semester. While I'm sure I could have done a couple of extra posts, its challenging to have something so large as our Wiki and find things you can constructively contribute too. If I could do it all over again I would have been much more active during the opening stages, and thus, when it became as large as it has today, I would have been much more familiar with the system and the information contained. This would have allowed me to know where topics I was interested in were posted and where I could contribute. The advantages to participating in the Wiki were information was quickly found and it was much, much more intuitive and user-friendly then the Sheridan Vista I've had to put up with in all my other courses. I was able to find helpful notes and some cool comments about the "System Wars" that the video game market is notorious for going through every 4-5 years in the fourth quarter. I liked the fact that Prof. Jones' Lecture Notes pages and useful course information was not altered, so there was nothing to really be confused about. I liked the Wiki and would suggest that Sheridan and/or UTM would be much better-served paying the cheap subscription costs for classes to have their Wiki's as opposed to the larger amounts their paying for, in my opinion, an inferior and more time-consuming program such as Vista. Overall I liked it, and will contribute much more in any classes that use it in the future (this was the first time I've encountered it, by the way).