Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
When it comes to co-creating documents in a
different way, wikis—and the most popular wiki,
Wikipedia—typically come to mind. According
to Wikipedia (n.d.), “a wiki is a website that uses
wiki software, allowing the easy creation and
editing of any number of interlinked Web pages,
using a simplified markup language or a WYSI-
WYG text editor, within the browser” (para 1).
Wikis have grown in popularity (e.g, Wikipedia
has nearly 11 million users (Wikipedia, n.d.)) be-
cause they enable anyone who sets up an account
to co-create and add and delete to the document.
Further, they typically have the functionality to
enable contributors the ability to discuss and co-
create as well as to track revisions. Today there
are over 100 different types of wiki software/
solutions to choose from (http://www.wikimatrix.
org/). And while the popularity of wikis grow and
organizations continue to use them for everything
from technical support and project management
(Majchrzak, Wagner, & Yates, 2006) to internal
documentation (Angeles, 2004; Wallace, 2008),
newer document co-creation tools like Google
Docs provide learners with much more flexibility,
control, and options to create and co-create docu-
ments. In fact, this very chapter was co-created
using Google Docs.
Google Docs (http://docs.google.com) and
other similar tools (e.g., Adobe Buzzword -
http://buzzword.acrobat.com and Zoho - http://
www.zoho.com) enable users to collaborate and
co-create in ways that wikis or traditional word
documents cannot. The Google Docs suite includes
document, presentation, and spreadsheet applica-
tions similar to those in Microsoft Office, which
enables people to collaborate and co-create on
a number of different types of projects. Further,
these projects can be kept private, or published
on the Web and made public. The Google Docs
suite also has a chat tool built into the application,
which enables users to chat and co-create—and
therefore dialogue and collaborate—in one space.
We often use Google Docs in our online
courses to support students' document co-creation
activities. One example of this use is students' co-
creation of a Top-100 List of Design Guidelines,
used to support their instructional-materials design
work. Developed in Google Docs over the course
of the semester, students contribute new design
guidelines with supporting citations based on
the coursework and readings. By the end of the
semester, students walk away with a robust set
of design guidelines summarizing the readings
that can be used as they continue their design
work outside of the course. Google Docs makes
it possible for our online postsecondary students
to collectively develop a unique document, each
sharing expertise, reviewing each others' contri-
butions for appropriate modifications and redun-
dancy reductions, summarizing and synthesizing
what they have learned from the course readings,
and reflecting on the value of their individual
contributions and the value of the collection of
guidelines in general.
When involved in the co-creation of a document
(or any content), collaborators must determine the
purpose of their work and brainstorm approaches;
negotiate shared meaning and teach each other
through the sharing of multiple perspectives and
divergent ideas; work together to create a coherent
end product; and engage in mutual peer evaluation
and review. Note that these activities, required for
effective document co-creation, reflect the very
strategies educators can employ to enable and
promote the type of dialogue and collaboration
needed to support students' lifelong learning skill
development. Therefore, it is through collaborat-
ing and co-creating using Web 2.0 technologies,
like a wiki or Google Docs, that students can
begin to learn different and more effective ways
to collaborate and co-create with others and
therefore, learn, unlearn, and relearn as effective
lifelong learners.
Resource Sharing
Lifelong learners using Web 2.0 technologies to
support their learning activities must be meta-
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