Deepika+Riyat+(Analysis+and+Reflection)

=Analysis & Reflection on the Use of Wikispaces=

Deepika Riyat - 993277299
=Contributions=

Below are some of the content contributions I made to the CCT205 Wikispace:
 * A full topic page regarding the different communications mediums used during the different stages of society (agricultural, industrial, etc.)
 * A short topic page regarding what hypertext is and where it originated
 * A full topic page regarding audiences, the characteristics that make them different from the mass and the public, and various other aspects
 * A brief paragraph on the Wiki Assignment Feeback regarding what I thought of the assignment in general

Below is some of the community maintenance I completed in the CCT205 Wikispace:
 * Organized numerous pages using horizontal lines to separate different subtopics on the page
 * Added subtopic titles to numerous pages to make the page easier on the eyes and easier to go though & inserted links to other pages within the space
 * Inserted a table of contents on numerous pages so that the subtopics were easier to get to and so a reader would have a brief overview about what the page included

=Reflection & Observations=

I think that the Wikispace assignment was a good learning experience. It didn’t take very long to learn and understand how to do the basics, such as creating a page and adding the link for it in the table of contents.

Although most actions were pretty basic, there were some tasks I didn’t know how to accomplish. For example, I didn’t know how to make a table of contents on a page. I thought it would be a complex process of codes and linking and a whole bunch of things I didn’t know how to do. However, after I had completed typing up my topic and saving it, someone had very kindly created a table of contents for the page, and I learned how a table of contents is created by clicking edit and seeing the code [ [ toc ] ]

at the top of the page. I liked the fact that it was so simple and so quick to accomplish. I also liked the fact that everyone could edit each other’s work, because if I didn’t know how to do something, someone else took initiative and did it; this helped me learn without having to read lengthy instructions.

I really liked the collaboration aspect of Wikispaces. There were so many advantages to the collaborative space. One I’ve already mentioned above which was that in a way, everyone helped everyone out to make each page better than what was started with. Another advantage of the collaborative space was that if someone thought of a really great and interesting idea, it wasn’t just theirs to enjoy- anyone that wanted to could add to it and have fun with it too. Having a diverse class was a great benefit in the way that there was such a variety of creative ideas applied to the space. One I especially liked was the section “Food for Thought” where students had included comics related to technology and media. Another good thing about our collaborative space was that if someone didn’t have information on a topic, someone else usually did, and this made topic pages very informative and thorough.

Although topics were informative and thorough as stated above, this was not always a great thing. Personally, I felt that some topics had so much information and collaboration that it was too much to take in. An example of this for me was the “spam” topic page. Although the page had a table of contents and subtitles, I found that there was just so much information there, that it was hard for me to get a quick overview without having to read through everything. I understand the purpose of the Wikispace was to create a type of information base, but I wonder if there is a better way of keeping a vast amount of information more organized and less overwhelming.

One factor of the Wikispace I did not like so much was the lack of options when it came to the colour and font of the text. I acknowledge that the simplicity of colour and font might have been a way to keep the space consistent and avoid illegibility of the information, but I feel that in a sense, it takes away some of the creativity that the space tries to encourage.

One last thing I really did not like was that I had chosen a topic and written about it and posted it on the space, and a few days later, another student posted their own page about the same topic, instead of collaborating with mine. I thought this was inconsiderate and that participants should check before posting topics.

=Suggestions & Ideas=

I think something useful for Wikispaces would be chat rooms and/or instant messaging, where people involved in a particular space would be able to talk. I think this could be very helpful. For example, if a student had a question or needed help with an aspect of the Wikispace, instead of having to e-mail the professor or another student and wait for a reply, the student could quickly ask someone who is online for help. This could also help the students or participants get to know each other a little more, since instant messaging is a very popular way of communicating and making new friends these days.

Something very important that I think should be incorporated in a space is a very visible and evident way to get in touch with the manager of the space (which in this case was the Mike Jones). Although the students had been given then manager’s email address on paper, I think that having a noticeable link to contact the manager on the actual space would make communication a little easier and faster.

I think that there should be and could be more organization in a Wikispace. I think a way to accomplish more organization is for topics that have lots of subtopics and lots of information, there could be links to separate pages for the subtopics, instead of everything clumped together on one page. Another way I think that the space could be more organized is that along with organizing pages by the table of contents, there could be a page which organizes the pages and topics by the area they are in. For example, the topics of MSN and Friendster could be under “Internet” or “Online Communication”. This may help people find topics they are looking for a little faster, instead of scrolling through all the topics.