Starting to rethink...

In an attempt to get caught up on my readings for our lit review I've come across a few interesting things to think about. Firstly, in one article I read how students who use wikis are happy to add content but are reluctant to make changes. Without really knowing this, I explained to my test group that the wikis "belonged to them" so to speak. They each created a wiki and set up the admin password which I then gave to other classes. I stressed the point of ownership because I was hoping that "ownership" would be an intrinsic motivator. However, I'm now thinking that I've tainted the authenticity of the project. Wikis, unlike blogs, don't belong to any one individual; instead they are collaborative in nature. So haven't I taught the wrong message?
I haven't instructed the participating classes that "my" students are the owners so "they" shouldn't be tainted which means I'm still hopeful kids in Shanghai and Colorado go ahead and make whatever changes they want to the existing content. However, I wonder how my students will respond if and when they find their sweat and tears transformed into something else.
I may add this question to my post survey (i.e. did you accept changes made to your own work?). Also, I've just discovered that the Colorado kids are grade 4 students. I had originally hoped that the students would be closer to the age of the test group but perhaps this is a blessing. This way, it should provide a greater/more chances for my grade 7 students to "improve" the stories during the peer editing process, even if some of my students are EAL or below grade level.
Finally, one great idea I came across during my readings is actually suggested by Wikipedia. They suggest having students peer edit their articles for anything from spelling to content. This would have been easier to set up and easier to control (no reliance on other teachers) but could have provided me with similar data and come with a built in audience (of millions). Oh well, maybe next time. I may do this as a follow up to my primary research to see if the students do buy into making changes to Wikipedia and then see if their attitudes towards it as a main resource changes.

On a separate note: are our annotations on delicious enough or are we expected to write them up again for our final paper. Delicious doesn't allow us to write very much so I don't want to add/redo them all in the summer.

Phase one complete

Okay, things are looking pretty good and the growing pains haven't been too bad. Students at my school (grade 4, 7 & 9) have all done their part.
I originally posted the intro video on youtube but it's blocked at our school so students had to test this at home which sucked. Then, the school in the US said they had the same issue and suggested I use teachertube. This was a great idea since it isn't blocked at as many schools so now the kids will be able to see it on their sites. Although I've updated my own site, I haven't told my students about the change. I've asked the students in the US to update the link; this will be a universal test to see how many of my students notice the change and if they decide to leave it or change it back.
I am faced with a few problems in China; pbwiki is blocked there but I've asked a tech buddy of mine over there if he had a solution and he's made one (proxy service type solution). Hopefully Concordia International School will be able to get around the great firewall of China for at least a few weeks.
Other than that, I'm just waiting to see what happens with all these wikis in the USA.
Will keep you posted.

Up and running...

Last week things finally started coming together. All 22 students have selected their characters for their writing assignment, they looked at examples of what they need to do for their wikis and everyone has set up their own wiki space on www.pbwiki.com I've also gotten final confirmation from a school in the USA who is going to participate which means once Concordia International School commits, I'll have all my ducks in a row.
I also submitted my tip to the "creative teaching grant" committee at my school and it has been accepted which is great because it means I'll be given some time to introduce the project at the next staff meeting which should include over 100 teachers. If I can generate even a little interest among the staff, this should help to get the students excited about the idea of writing for an actual audience which is a key component to my research.
All I have to do now is hope that pwwiki isn't blocked by the Great FireWall of China!
As for the projects themselves, who knows. The students start writing this week but it's totally up to them to do the job well, poorly or at all since I'm trying to measure intrinsic motivation.