The Affordances of Wikis for
Enabling Group Work by Pre-Service
Teachers
Kay Owens
SOTE, Dubbo
Affordances
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Mediating tool
Extend thinking
Provides alternatives
Enables inquiry
Extension of thinking
(Goos, Galbraith, Renshaw & Geiger, 2003)
• Action is possible as a result of the availability
of the tool (Dalgarno & Lee, 2010)
Affordances in Collaborative
Community of Inquiry
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Focus of discussion
Movement into Zone of Proximal Development
Promoting action
Mutual engagement of participants
Shared repertoire and experience for meaning
making
• Screen movements, reasoning, problem solving
together – changes in tool and in their thinking go
together
Lecturer role
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Facilitation with tool
Freedom
Early face-to-face and mutual trust
Learning design itself as an affordance: cycle of
perception and action in a classroom context
• Design to work together through computer tool
• http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/EML105_2
01130_D_I/page/e65ed710-ec30-467f-8024c09c8ad9f34e
Subject use of computers
• Students set up own project site
• Learn to use wikis. Work in wikis with grammar and other
statements as a group in the tutorial for 6 weeks. Other
group work.
• Interactive links to reading (short) hyperlinked, relatively
precise question, built up to the assessment essay
• Work on paper usually in maths but reflections in wiki; noncomputer activities
• Student services support and lecturer in room
• http://interact.csu.edu.au/access/meleteDocs/content/priv
ate/meleteDocs/EML105_201130_D_I/uploads/EML105Lit
Week3.htm
• http://interact.csu.edu.au/access/meleteDocs/content/priv
ate/meleteDocs/EML105_201130_D_I/uploads/EML105Nu
mS1-1.htm
Student self-determined use
• Often used 2 computers, one for the module and other
for joint writing
• Next six weeks, had own paper to read and write up
something on the wiki for sharing and comment
• Self-regulating with cognitive and affective processes
within a social context
• http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/2f026f15-28bc4141-00cf-af22d4b02e6b
• http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ef3fc9ed-ff8e46e9-8052-f875701b5c2c/page/1eeb7b4a-2574-40928054-284ff2223353
Third year subject
• More difficult readings to summarise and
required to respond to other comments
• Set up face-to-face.
• Linked to assessment seemed less responsive.
• http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/15332c
71-da67-479a-802b-b25a5a5f2c0c
Affordances & Constraints
• Supporting each other reasonably well in class –
important because of a wide range of background
knowledge on grammar & maths
• Relatively easy to see who is putting comments in or
modifying; sometimes done as group so need to
encourage they note this
• Confined space for some
• If assessed, did not want to put down thoughts as final
submission. If not assessed, less input from everyone.
• Some were unsure how the work would help
assessment, or seen as double work, or selfish about
sharing work (grading is competitive).