Gibson,Denyse

=Analysis & Reflection=

Responses:

 * Question 1:** This is my second time being given the opportunity to use wiki spaces as a tool to base a project on, and I quite like the idea about using a collaborative writing environment. Utilizing wiki spaces, allowed me to learn a great deal about myself as an individual and as a person using the space. First and foremost, I discovered that I am the type of person who requires control of myself, and my space. In the beginning, I was truly offended when others would add to my wiki before I had completed it in its entirety. I felt very pressured and rushed to input in my information first, before anyone else could add content to my space that I had already intended on including. After time, I came to realize that this was out of my control and I had to allow the platform to function as it was intended to, as a collaborative writing environment. I adjusted to this by regularly going back to my wiki space and discover what modifications were made. If they were not to my liking, I would just delete the unnecessary content. I also learned that due to the nature of the project, students were able to start their own wiki quite late in the semester and begin community maintenance late as well. I found this to be problematic because at time, I would find students adding un-related content to your space just so that they could get marks for community maintenance. Again to rectify this problem, I had to keep a close eye on my space to ensure that only relevant content remained. I also learned the importance of taking my time with my space as well as when adding content to others spaces. For wiki spaces to function properly, everyone has to look at the content carefully and also look at the space from an aesthetic point of view. This is also how I feel I can participate as an experienced wiki user. Being aware of the problems that exist by using a collaborative writing environment, I feel that I can help in keeping the spaces organized and comprehensible.

I intend on expanding my understanding by using the space more frequently than I had in the past. I now feel that visiting the space more often and browsing others spaces, really gives one ideas in terms of what is acceptable for the project as well as provides ideas about what you can implement in your own space to improve it. I also hope to expand by making my space function more clearly in terms of the content and the aesthetics of the space. I would like both to exist in harmony and I feel this can only be achieved by attempting to utilize all aspects of the wiki in terms of the tools they offer.


 * Question 2:**I find that I tend to choose to add to postings related to topics that I am familiar with or topics that I am very interested in therefore I will research it so I can add information. I also look for wiki spaces that have very little content so that it is easier to incorporate your own ideas to that space with very little interruption. I personally have no problems adding, editing or re-arranging others work simply because any additions can be deleted just as easily. Also, I know that I take care when I add content to others spaces because I do not want to create more work for that individual. I try and make the content as relevant as possible and try and place it within the space in the most appropriate spot so that the wiki flows nicely.

I regularly check my own posting to ensure that any content added by anyone other than myself is relevant to my topic and that it improves the space rather than weakening it. As stated above, I just find it problematic when people make postings just for the sake of gaining marks for community maintenance but pay little attention to whether or not the actual information or images they are adding are benefiting your wiki. In most cases, if I am dissatisfied with the additions made to my space, I will delete all the changes with little though given to the feelings of the “adder” because if someone makes irrelevant additions, they obviously have given little thought to the fact that they are weakening someone else’s project.

Advantages in participating in this wiki included a better understanding of the application. I also liked the fact that we were able to pick any genre to create a space about and this ensured that a wide variety of topics were included. This also made it easier and even more enjoyable to add to other people’s spaces as well as create a space that you were truly passionate about. I liked how the course was very diverse in terms of topics that were covered. I also liked how it linked to a lot of other courses that I have taken previously and continued where they may have left off. I especially enjoyed conducting the comic analysis. The graphic novel Understanding Comics was especially interesting and added a really fun component to the course. Most of all, I liked that the course allowed you many opportunities to explore personal areas of interest. We were able to choose our own graphic novel to analyze, choose our own culture jamming topic as well as choose any topic to explore through wiki spaces. I found this to very valuable because when I am interested in a subject, I tend to excel as I am more eager to participate and acquire additional knowledge as oppose to a topic which I am forced to research. The only aspect that I found to be problematic in the course was the lack of community maintenance in the wiki spaces. I feel that perhaps because many students have done wiki spaces in several others courses, they enthusiasm to participate more frequently is not there anymore. I only had one contribution to my space and it was images. No one added any content and I found that to be a change in comparison to the first time I had to create a space for a course.
 * Question 3:** I personally did not experience any challenges this time around using wiki space. However, I did find that there were limitations. Firstly, I found it rather frustrating that people would delete valuable information that I posted about their topic. I feel that sometimes they either didn’t even take the time to read your added content or didn’t like that you had included valuable information they had missed.

Sept 28
Added my name to the analysis and reflection page. (I think something went wrong becuase I had to add it more than once, received help from David Gleb). From this date until November 9th, I was collecting a large percentage of information about by topic and organizing my content before I made any posting on wiki spaces.

Nov 9 :
Added wiki entitled Surrealism to CCT300 wiki space and focused on editing as well as adding links and worked on my analysis and reflection page.

Nov 10:
Added some images to my own wiki space and made some slight layout changes. Added a paragraph to the Photography wiki on Theory and the Critique of Documentary. Aslo added two paragraphs to the Culture Jamming wiki about the decline of culture jamming's effectiveness.

Nov 13
Did some cleanup of my wiki on Surrealism and added 560 words to the Media Effects Eating disorders page about Anorexia Nervosa and Advertising effects. Also made some changes to the ndj wiki space (the schedule) which deals with our culture jamming project.

Nov 15
Added my responses to question 1 & 2 in analysis and reflection • made some changes to the torontobyass wiki page and added first analysis section. Added some more information to my wiki on Surrealism (work cited, Surrealist photography, Photomontage & Rayographs). • Added approximately 500 words to the Global Village wiki about the "side effects of Globalization, the Global Divide, the areas affected, and the current problems." Also added a "table of contents" & " work cited" section.

Dec 6
I went page to the pages I had added content to previously and made sure I cited everything properly.

Dec 7
I added a small section to my own space on Surrealism listed other surrealist artsists and added a picture as we all added more external links to the site. • I also modified my citing and cited myself as well as provided websites were I had attatined my content. I also started my final reflection question.

Dec 8
Added my final reflection question to the analysis and reflection page. • ensured that my wiki space was ready for evaluation.