Week 8: Wikis and Concept Mapping

Nohat. (2006, July 1). Wikipedia Logo [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/

Anyone who owns a computer has come across Wikipedia - the most popular wiki on the World Wide Web. We all know what it is: a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free-access, free content Internet encyclopedia. But what exactly is a wiki? A wiki is a s a web application that allows people to add, modify, or delete content in collaboration with others. Ward Cunningham, the developer of the first wiki software, WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as "the simplest online database that could possibly work." Due to their simplicity and collaborative feature, wikis can be used to plan a camping trip, or to create and share instructional content on the web. Can I see myself using a wiki? If you would've asked me this question a week ago I would've said no. Wikipedia was one of the only wikis I knew about, and in all honestly it seems awfully complicated to edit a page. However, now that I've learned about how easy they are to use I might just use it to plan the camping trip I'm going to in a few months with my friends - a handy way to create lists of what we 'have' and what we 'need' to get organized.
A wiki differs from a blog in that the content is created without any defined owner or leader. Additionally, a wiki differs from Google Drive and Evernote in that wikis have little implicit structure, allowing structure to emerge according to the needs of the users.
Which one do I like better? Hard to say since it depends on what each is used for: Wikis are great for sharing information with others; Google Drive is, in my opinion, the best tool for group projects; Evernote is handy for storing content you find on the web and creating your own notes; and blogs allow for sharing of opinions and discussions. 
Each of these tools have enhanced my learning, with wikis (Wikipedia in particular) being one of the tools I use the most. Although educational institutions don't view wikis as a reliable source of information, since anyone can edit them, they are great at summarizing information on a specific topic and often provide references. This one particular wiki lists several resources on digital rights and responsibilities and provides a step-by-step guide on how to use brainstorming tools such as bubbl.us to create concept map diagrams.
One of the most important aspects about being a digital citizen is knowing the expectations that accompany the privileges and freedom to engage in technology. I made a simple concept map using bubbl.us to highlight what I feel are the most important digital rights and responsibilities a digital citizen must know: 

Krahn, A. (CC) 2014

An interesting article on anonymity came up on my Feedly recently. It talks about the pros and cons of user annonymity, with one of the cons being cyberbullying. It is imperative that kids be taught the nine rules of digital citizenship, specifically highlighting their digital responsibilities. Within this technological era one cannot afford to be "digitally unaware" as ahoneysett (2014) points out on another blog.