Wikis, Discussion Boards, Journals and Blogs

Image credit:  Gilles Tran & Jaime Vives Piqueres 

As I have mentioned in other locations, the process of dynamic learning takes place by using four interactive tools: wikis, discussion boards, journals, and blogs.

Wikis can be used for brainstorming, generating ideas and share links to content in other locations on the web. This content may be interesting to others (teachers and students) in the course. The Wiki is also a great place to post your class notes and get others to respond to them.

Discussion Boards are great places to sound off on topics and themes in the course, to test ideas and see how others react to them. The discussion board is a great place to float ideas.

Journals are effective tools to think through the problem-solving process. You will want to use your journal to raise questions for further exploration, summarize what you think you already know, and discuss how you have found, or plan to find, answers to your questions. Journals should reflect your problem-solving process.

Blogs are great places to share ideas and sources in a more structured and formal way than you did on the discussion board and the wiki. With blogs you can curate content, but you want to provide your own comments, analysis or syntheses -- so that you are not merely duplicating the work of others. Your blog should have your own voice and provide your own unique point of view on the topics and themes in the course.

Two things tend to produce strong blogs: (1) you respond to the ideas and information you have gotten from others (this means you have cite and acknowledge the source in some way, usually through links to that source -- it also means you have to accurately summarize, interpret or paraphrase what they have said) and (2) you have to provide your own original content (your own perspective and ideas) in your own voice.

This is how Wikis, writing journals, posting blogs, and participating on discussion boards go together.

For more information see: The Four Arrows of Project Based Learning,  Journals, and Essentials of Project-Based Instruction

C. Matthew Hawkins