Wiki+Assignment

Wiki – Form and Structure of Media (25%)
Final date for edits: Dec 8th (ongoing participation/content building required)

This course will be using Wikispaces to foster collaborative investigation on issues of relevance in this course. The main deliverable for the course Wikispace will be the analysis of genre and form elements of various media forms.

This assignment contains three parts:

Content (10%)
Students are encouraged to pick one media genre of interest and develop an analysis of this genre (2-3pp.,approximately 500-700 words). Include references and accurate academic citations when writing your entry. Effective content will provide a robust, factual and complete analysis of the design of a particular media form, including exemplars. You must also contribute to other pages that you didn't explicitly create. If a page on your topic of choice exists already, add to it, don't make a new page on the same topic. This is an integral part of collective learning that is at the heart of wiki.


 * Itemize and hyperlink all your significant contributions** in your analysis and reflection page. Also record any contributions in the in "//about this edit for the page history log//" field at the bottom of each page (look at the bottom of this page). Smaller contributions (ie. fixing typos, adding small edits) can be noted here as well but make the significant contributions more prominent.

Example

Community building and maintenance (10%)
Wikis depend on continual effort by community writers to create a sustainable and active intellectual space. Our class Wiki is no exception,and this effort will be rewarded accordingly. The Wiki is your space –10% of your final mark will be allocated to your efforts to making this space a constructive learning experience.

Analysis and Reflection (5%)
Students should outline their contributions to the wiki and share their reflections, concerns, and suggestions for future Wiki-makers. This will include at least 3 separate entries of 1-2 paragraphs each throughout the term :

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?

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?

//**Post your reply by Nov 16**//

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

//**Post your reply by Dec 8**//

Also....
It may be beneficial to create a page with your name on it now, and add your major contributions to it over the course of the term--as opposed to trying to remember everything last-minute in December. You can also start your page (by clicking the star next to Edit Page--it should turn gold) and access it quickly by clicking on your login (top-right) and clicking on the link.

Start the Wiki assignment now--don't wait till it's too late! Too many students learn the hard way that this is one assignment you cannot blitz last-minute.