Schooling an Adjunct Professor About the Wiki in USF Sarasota’s Computer Lab:

As I am working on the wiki from USF Sarasota’s computer lab, an adjunct professor sits down next to me. Nothing is said during the first 20 minutes. Then, this professor asks me if I am designing a website. This is the beginning of my experience schooling a staffer about our wiki. “No, it is actually a wiki for my English class up in St. Pete,” I tell the instructor. “What is a wiki,” the professor quickly fires back. I return to our course wiki’s front page and start from the beginning: “A wiki allows a large number of people to collaborate with colleagues, friends, and peers via the internet.” I show the professor the tabs on the side, and show him how they link to further wiki pages. I then went to my page and showed him the links, and also how it is possible to add or remove information with a few clicks of the mouse. I then show him my first blog, and how I can add or remove text and images. Next, I demonstrate to the teacher on how my wiki is interrelated to the wiki pages of my classmates. Lastly, I inform about the wiki’s application in the business world. For instance, businesses are starting to use them more and more…and even a few courses in USF’s business school are starting to incorporate them. I am not sure if the professor left the experience with a brown belt in wiki usage, but he said that he teaches business, and is going to look into teaching about the wiki.

Schooling My Parents About the Wiki:

I do as best as I can to keep my parents up-to-date on the latest technological trends. I am an electronics junkie, and there are few technological innovations that I have not shared with my parents. I wanted my dad to be familiar with a wiki before he left for an engagement with JP Morgan in Chicago (where he is currently at). My first step was distinguishing a blog from a wiki. My parents were familiar with the former, so I decided the best avenue would be to show them wikipedia’s explanation of each:blog=is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries/Wiki= a website that allows the visitors themselves to easily add, remove, and otherwise edit and change available content, typically without the need for registration. This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for mass collaborative authoring. I then brought my laptop into the kitchen and showed them my wiki page. I showed them how I could add/remove pictures, links, and so on. To show them another application of wikis, I went to the FreeLook Bookstore online ‘zine. After this experience, I feel that my parents have a good understanding of what a wiki is, but I am not sure if they will be using one in the near future like the professor I spoke with.

Schooling a Youth Worker