Khan,+Bashir

**__Analysis & Reflection__**
1. My first impression of the wiki space was one of rather skepticism. Of course due to the nature of the internet and its vast number of different users, I felt that placing such authority in the hands of the users to edit, alter or modify almost any information can prove to be problematic. However, after using the wiki over time, to my surprise I realized that the environment proved to be more useful with minimum abuse. I find that it’s a friendlier environment than other educational tools such as WebCT or CCNET in the sense that it allows a lot of control for the users to communicate to each other, and in addition it doesn’t follow a hierarchy of authority as much, since a lot of the information posted is by fellow students or peers.

I expect and more or less try to contribute as much information, but due to the specificity of individuals and what they try to communicate, it forces me to go in the direction of starting my own threads or pages rather than adding to others. Although, I do like the fact that that option is available to me where I can add my own opinion or facts to someone else’s idea. Nevertheless, I do expect to fully take advantage of the wiki to address any specific questions that I may have and use it as a study tool.

Although I haven’t used wiki in any previous courses, I am using it for two courses simultaneously in this semester. I do believe that it helps myself to better adapt to wiki and get familiar with it since its an integral part of both courses. However, it does become overwhelming to keep up to date and continuously make contributions to the wiki since it becomes the expectations become twice as much, and begins overlapping and creates some confusion and repetition. For example, for both courses, this very reflection needs to be done which touches on mainly the same points but I have to do this over for the other one!?!

I think the idea of contributing to the wiki is not very complex, although I do think that initially there is a little bit of hesitancy to start contributing and adjusting to this “collaborative learning environment”. But once you get over the hump and learn what it’s all about, and you familiarize yourself with the wiki, it becomes simple and easy. Then modifications and additions become almost natural as opposed to a ‘task’.

2. The postings that I choose to contribute or alter are usually the ones that I find interesting and I think I am capable of contributing quality information to. And for the making changes, I am very careful about changing people’s work that might alter or hinder the point they are trying to make. Also, when the author has written something, its organized in a specific way so that limits the degree to which the alteration can be made since changing them can mess up the structure. So the changes are mainly typos or an elaboration of the point following the original context.

I do check my own postings and noticed that people have made slight changes to the work. I haven’t had anyone do any major changes so I wouldn’t know exactly how it feels, but I do believe that it depends on the type of alteration. Because when I write a piece of work, I have a specific idea in my head that I try to communicate to the best of my ability. So when someone comes across and changes the work, two things can happen. One, they can pursue your idea from the perspective that was in your head and you can appreciate the edit, although this is rare. The second one, which is the more common one, is that they have a different take which is not exactly from the way you initially thought of it, so it can become slightly frustrating, but nothing overbearing.

3. As a final reflection on your experience with the CCT333 wiki, look back and read your first entry. >
 * Have your views changed in regards to collaborative learning while participating in this wiki?
 * Are there any ideas, suggestions or comments you could share for possible improvements?
 * Things you thought were most productive or helpful about using wiki?

3. Ofcourse my initial view of wiki has changed and before I felt that there would be issues regulating the website but due to the nature of the wiki, it seems to be self-regulating in many ways and its working quite well too. Aside from the initial doubts and skepticism, my views have been pretty consistent and feel that wiki has been quite successful at maintaining a collaborative leanring environment and it does help in alot of ways.

I think that the community building aspect is essential to the success of wiki and is one of of the foundation that its based on, and so it was important for us to take part in it as an assignment. However, I think that there could have been some things done that allowed the more "novice" users to take a greater part in the community building and just to get them started. I think if the community building aspect was broken in to pieces and over a weekly basis of submitting a certain number of posts could have given better results and in ways encouraged the novice users to take things one at a time.

What I found to be most productive or helpful about the whole wiki experience is that it helps you learn how to deal with large groups or working with alot of individuals. It teaches you to be very open minded and respect other people's opinion and alot of it came from the process of editing or elaboarting on other people's work. Because in order to add to someone else's work, you really have to understand what the other person's talking about to either expand or critically analyze their work and because of that reason, it makes you focus on the other person and really place your self in their perspective.

Assignment II, WIKI POST: Hotmail

__Contributions__

Nov.30 Answered a question on the a3 faq page.

Dec. 2 Fixed up Key concepts Made edits to the Biometrics page. Fixed up banner on the ccit333 final test page.

Dec.4 Added a link to the final test page for better access.

Dec. 5 Added a course overview webpage for people to talk about how they liked the course. Created the banners and wrote my reflection on the course overview. Added the link in the main page for the course overview created.

Dec. 7. Added a banner on the wiki faq webpage. Added a banner on the Final test faq page

Dec.8 Added work to the Google maps page. Added and elaborated on satellite radio Added and elaborated on Skype