The final DPS Tech Challenge item is to create a Wikipedia account and do some editing. My first thought was - "I know a little about a lot but I'm not an expert on anything!" So what to edit?? For some strange reason, I've been thinking lately about a series of books that I was crazy about as a young child - the "Lonely Doll" and "Edith" books by author, model and photographer, Dare Wright. I LOVED the books which might seem odd if you are familiar with them. The illustrations consist of still photography of dolls positioned with their surroundings and/or other toys (like teddy bears). From doing a little research, I've learned that some people find them creepy. So I guess I was an unusual child. I edited the Wikipedia page on Dare Wright and added two external links - one to the Dare Wright Facebook page, and one to an article about her books from the NY Times in 2005. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dare_Wright)
I've worked with Wikis before. In fact I created one for an emergent literacy class at Chapel Hill. The professor loved it because I would post all of the resources she gave us at the Wiki. Unfortunately, the professor and I had trouble getting everyone else on board. It was intended to be a place where the students would share their lesson plans and projects, but because it wasn't mandatory, few students used it.
The thing I hate about Wikis is how disorganized they can become when many people are working on the same site. A central administrator is always necessary to decide how the Wiki pages will be organized. Let's see how the DPS Media Coordinators Wiki goes this year!
