1. Transliterate discussions:
Using wikis to support small group
work within English studies
Presented at De Montfort University
4 December 2007
Ruth Page, School of English, Birmingham City
University
(If you quote from this presentation, please cite these
authorship details, thank you)
2. A working definition of transliteracy
Transliteracy is The ability to read, write
and interact across a range of platforms,
tools and media from signing and orality
through handwriting, print, TV, radio and
film, to digital social networks. (PART
2007)
3. A transliteracy tag cloud
Integration creativity connection
transformation newmedia multimedia
boundaries lifeworlds interaction
collaboration web 2.0 writing reading
context network intermediality education
ideas suethomas pedagogy
multimodal technology blog podcast
transdisciplinarity
5. Transliteracy and Education
Activities and resources require students
to ‘read, write and interact across a range
of platforms’
Pedagogic principles
Social Constructivism (collaboration)
Multiple intelligences
Holistic and ‘deep learners’
6. E-learning and transliteracy
HEFCE e-learning strategy
A greater diversity of student needs
Increased flexibility of provision (m-learning)
Enhanced capacity for integrating study with work
and leisure
DfES e-learning strategy
A collaborative approach to personalised learning
experiences
A common digital infrastructure for transformation
and reform
8. Dual learning?
Activity Stick them around the
image of a jigsaw piece
Write on each post-it note
the different elements
students experience in
your teaching (e.g.
lecture / PPT slides /
reading / e-learning
activities (e.g. blog,
discussion forum) / class
discussion / assessment)
10. A case study: Small group work
Importance of small group work (Gibbs
1994)
Description of a typical seminar
2-3 hours
10-40 students (usually 25-30)
Survey of my colleagues’ practice
Student perceptions of small group work
11. Staff survey
How often do you use small group activities?
70% - a third of the time or more
40% - half the time or more
Typical Activities
Discussion (of passages, concepts)
Exercises, problem solving
Writing tasks (joint composition, rewriting)
Performance, preparation for presentation
Feedback mechanisms
Single reporter / group
Asking individuals questions
One group talks to whole group (including poster tours)
Groups are dispersed to talk to each other
12. Perceived benefits (Staff)
Less threatening
trying out ideas in a non-threatening context
voice thoughts they might feel unsure about
More opportunity for tutor/student interchange
it allows me as a tutor to speak and hear individual contributions
from a wider selection
Engagement
everyone engaged, encourages sharing of ideas
Consolidation of knowledge
Reinforce learning
Peer support
Help each other in analytical exercises
are listened to by others
13. The student perception
What do you think you most gain from
group discussion in seminars?
Feedback and input from our peers
Different points of view / opinions / ideas
Gaining more knowledge and opinions
14. Disadvantages of current feedback
mechanisms
No permanent record for the whole class,
people don’t always take in what is said
Miss points or ideas
Not everyone gets to speak, you don’t get
to say everything
15. Specific problem - feedback
Time management
Limited number of speakers
What do students gain from it?
How do we build on this?
Referring back to material in later classes
Connection with assessment
16. Wiki
Web sites that can be edited by anyone
with access to them
Wikipedia
Advantages:
A collaborative environment
Virtual access
Private / Public
Free!
21. Writing summaries
'Eveline' is a short story written by James Joyce and is included in
Dubliners.
When looking at the theory of frequency in Joyce's 'Eveline' the following
can be said.
When Eveline begins to reminisce about her childhood she uses the word
'used' a lot. This adverb is found within the examples if iterative frequency.
Eveline only tells once of events that happened in her childhood. In the
second paragraph of the story. It is seen how 'there used to be a field there
in which [the children] used to play.'
Another form of frequency that appears in the text is repetitive when
Eveline discusses the death of her mother. On two occassions Eveline talks
about this. The first is at the bottom of page 30 - 'what he would do to her
only for her dead mother's sake' and at the top of page 33 - 'remind her of
the promise to her mother...She remembered the last night of her mother's
illness.'
22. Revision
Each student adding different parts to their
group’s summary
Adding URLS (reworking online sources)
Practice at linguistic analysis
Consolidation of knowledge
23. Peer review
Each group reviewed the work of another
group
Formally in class
Add comments
Informally out of class
Reading, making personal judgements
26. Wiki and transliteracy
Widened the range of resources available
Online texts: blogs, e-texts, hypertexts, video, image,
scholarly material
Range of activities
Writing paragraphs, summarising information in
tables, moving from mindmap / verbal text, creating
PPT
Overall place within the learning experience
Connecting oral discussion, online collaboration with
personal projects
27. Student Evaluation
How often did you use the wiki?
3 – 3 or four times
7 – half the time
16 – at least once a week, every week
Some even checking on it several times a
day
28. Benefits of using the wiki
Involvement (2)
I feel that the wiki has encouraged me to do the work
and contribute to something the whole class has
produced, and if I didn’t contribute I’d be letting
everyone down
Reflection (7)
A chance to review my own and other’s ideas from
our class work that we tend to forget sometimes
It makes me go away after class and still think about
the topic we did because I was using the wiki to type
my ideas up
29. Benefits continued…
Application and Consolidation of knowledge
(9)
I have gained better understanding of the models
covered in class and know how to apply these to texts
Peer support (10)
I was able to see what other people have done in
more detail, as class discussions were restricted to
time
To see and learn what other students have done as
well
30. Benefits continued
Accessibility (4)
Work saved and always accessible to refresh
knowledge on a certain area
Good for reference in later classes
Online skills (1)
Better computer skills. Use of hyperlinks
31. Limitations
Only one person able to type up ideas at a
time (3)
Concerns about accuracy (1)
Time management (4)
Lack of participation by certain members
of the class (2)
32. What activity did you find the most
beneficial and why?
Writing summaries (12)
Peer review (6)
Mindmaps (5)
Creating PPT slides (2)
Creating tables (1)
33. How has the wiki contributed to the
group work?
Sharing ideas (3)
It helps everyone to share ideas
Better understanding (1)
Wiki meant more group work, so topics became better
understood
Social cohesion / Involvement (8)
It has pulled us more together
It was good way to get together outside class and do
work.
Sharing the workload (3)
Everyone does their fair contribution (most of the
time).
34. How has the wiki changed the way you use
the resources for this module?
It is now becoming a kind of reflex
I use online materials a little more, learned more online tools too
The URL links have made me go and explore more material online.
I have learnt a lot about online material and how to use new techniques. It has supported my
learning very well
Use moodle more often )
I use it a lot more
It has encouraged me to check moodle more often. It has also given me confidence to use more
online library services such as Literature Online.
More likely to use Moodle
Has aided my general PC use for notes etc.
Moodle would run better with the wiki because it is a resource made my students for students
It is simpler to link analysis to an idea by means of hyperlinks
Encourages you to do more work outside class
It has improved my confidence and styles
Wiki has provided extra information about online resources I can access for ease of reference
I am looking at more articles
I still find difficulty using e-journals,
I have become more skilled in using the resources
It hasn’t changed the way I use resources
Not much
35. Summary (resource)
17 improved or more frequent use of
resources being provided
2 not changed
Embedding existing forms in a more user
friendly way (Manfred Jahn’s Guide to
Narratology)
Mostly access, not evaluation
36. Amplification
it has allowed us to work in groups and as a
whole class which gives us more information
and detail.
helped to keep ideas in my mind
the wiki has encouraged us to engage with each
topic wholly instead of just leaving it until we
came to do our assignments in December.
The wiki made us be more hard working and
responsible for the module
37. What would I do differently?
Explore other uses of wikis (individual v.
group, public v. private)
Structure the tasks, avoid ambiguity
Assess the contributions
Increase multimodal nature of resources
Be aware of blind spots in ‘digital literacy’
Technical support
Scholarly approaches
38. Useful resources
Beyond Distance Research Alliance (University
of Leicester)
[http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/beyond-distance-
research-alliance/resources/wikis]
E-learning articles from the University of
Plymouth
[http://www2.plymouth.ac.uk/distancelearning/publicat
ions.html]
STOLEN principle ticklist
[http://www.a6training.co.uk/resources_Social_Softwa
re.php]
