Six Degrees of Information: The Potential of Wikis

For a while the difference between blogs and wikis has been apparent to me, but the purpose behind each on in education has taken some time for me to work out.  I think the key is really seeing great examples of each medium and going from there.

Wikis, for me, are pretty exciting because they are truly a blank slate or playground for developing content and building on that content.  When I think about Wikipedia and other wikis, it reminds me of the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”  If you’re not familiar with the game, the challenge is to think of an actor and try to link him/her to Kevin Bacon through their roles in movies and their relationships with other actors.  The idea is that any actor can be eventually linked to Kevin Bacon even though the two may not have ever been in a movie together.  In the end it paints a picture of interconnectedness.

Blogging: What makes a blog a blog

A blog is often defined as a website.  Just a website.  And in looking at the seemingly endless examples of websites referred to as blogs, this may not be an inaccurate description.  Examples of sites calling themselves blogs range from diary entries, homework posting, logs of the foods people eat, and displays of photographs or other artwork.  Although these sites are undoubtedly ’web logs,’ they lack the act of blogging and are not truly blogs.