TiddlyWiki: A non-linear note book (Web 2.0 Tool 3)

I am always on the search for ways to collect, curate and organise information - both for my professional and my personal life. Recently, I stumbled across TiddlyWiki, which claims to be a

unique non-linear notebook for capturing, organising and sharing complex information (TiddlyWiki.com, 2014)

What drew me to it was its transformation of traditional note-taking techniques, such as index cards, into an interactive tool that lives on my computer and can house hyperlinks, self-proclaimed "hypertext index card from the future". What could there not be to love?

The site hosts helpful explanation video tutorials, as well as text instructions on how to get started. After watching the introduction, I must admit that whilst i feel it sounds good, I am not sure about the user-friendliness of it. Use of codes for formatting, etc., much like in the Bubbl.us mind-mapping tool I reviewed.

After the introduction, I decided to opt for the leisurely introduction, or the "Gentle Guide', which does admit that TiddlyWiki is,

conceived and constructed differently than most software. This can make it hard to understand until the moment when it clicks, and becomes a seamless extension of your brain. (TiddlyWiki, 2104).

I downloaded the empty file and managed to create three posts. However, I found it difficult - it was not intuitive and very difficult to save in the end.

Setting up the TiddlyWiki

The control panel does allow for some customisation, and I like that palettes are pre-chosen to avoid nasty, over-messy sites.

Equally, there are three view options and two themes, pre-chosen, presumably by designers who know what works and what doesn't. Again, this prevents time-wasting when it comes to frmatting and lyaout, leaving time for building. Which, in this case, you DO need, as it is not liek tools we might be used to.

You can also pick and chose the buttons you want to appear, based on your personal preferences. I think this would change over time, as you got used to the tool and decided what worked and what didn't work for you.

You can also choose your font - but need to know the name, as there is no drop down menu, you simply have to type in the font you want to use.

This is what my blank TiddlyWiki looked like after I had set it up. Creating this probably took longer than completed the previous two Web 2.0 Tools (Bubbl.us and Zunal).

Creating notes

Pros and Cons

I do not think this would be a tool that I would use or recommend in the classroom as it is not at all straightforward. Perhaps, after time, it might be easy to use as it suggests, however, as teachers, we know that we don't have that time. Often, we are teaching content and don't have time to add in teaching new tools. We want user-friendly apps that can be picked up and used with ease immediately; apps that support the learning process not add on to it.

Here is a link to my completed TiddyWiki.

Comments

Past Thoughts

CONNECTION

We had our kick-off meeting last week on Tuesday 5 February 2013. I was able to connect using Blackboard Collaborate , something I had not used before, but unfortunately had to leave as I was at school. However, with it being Chinese New Year I have had an extended weekend, so was able to catch up and watch the full recorded version. I have also had a cold so have not felt up to tackling the mountain of marking, but have caught up on my reading for the next meeting, namely Chapters 1-3 of the book, ' Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds '; my Tweets about the most interesting salient points for me personally, can be found under @MrsHollyEnglish under #flatclass. Having reached the end of Chapter 3, I have come across my first 3 of the 15 Flat Classroom Challenges. Having taken part in the survey assessing my current connectivity, I feel confident that I am currently in a good position - I already have established a sound PLN that I build on when I can and have added s...

Creativity Runs Wild

“There’s probably no better example of the throttling of creativity than the difference between what we observe in a kindergarten classroom and what we observe in a high school classroom.” (Levine) Wherever in the world I have been teaching, one of the most common observations of my classroom by other teachers is that it is "like a primary classroom". This is, more often that not, said in a derogatory and dismissive way, as if the colourful and expressive landscape of learning created through explorations of language and literature is a negative thing. That I cannot possibly be teaching a secondary curriculum if they seem to be creating so much..."mess" (as it has also been called). I have never paid much attention to this; I believe that my IB Diploma English Literature class learnt a great deal about the symbols, motifs, characters, language, themes and setting through the mural we painted all over the classroom. They learnt to problem solve and collaborate...

What Are We Learning?

Reflections on the First Week of Classroom Observations This year, classroom visits are framed by a Looking for Learning approach. The premise is simple: rather than focusing on what the teacher is doing, a small set of questions is used to gain a deeper understanding of the students' learning experience. Over the course of the year, the lens is through these four guiding questions: What are you learning today? Why do you think you are learning this, and how does it connect to what you have done before? How is your thinking shifting? How will you know you have been successful in your learning? These questions are deceptively simple, but they open windows into clarity, purpose, metacognition , and self-assessment. For this first phase, however, I deliberately chose to begin with just one: What are you learning today? At the start of a new academic year, it did not feel appropriate to press students yet about how their thinking was shifting or how they would evalua...

From Binary to Both/And: Deepening Clarity and Feedback in Classrooms

This week marked my second cycle of Looking for Learning visits. One of the greatest joys of this process has been the conversations that follow. Teachers have welcomed me into their classrooms with openness and trust, and our discussions afterwards have been equally generous and insightful. This culture of dialogue, where wonderings are met with reflection and opportunity, is a bright spot in itself. It reflects our shared belief that we are already strong educators and that we can continue to grow together. Across classrooms, several patterns of strength emerged: Clarity of learning: Many students were able to explain what they were learning and how it built on what had come before. They were not only describing the task but also connecting it to prior knowledge, showing they were constructing new understanding. Intentional design for collaboration and concept formation: I saw varied and purposeful groupings, where students were supporting one another’s learning....

Habits of Learning

Habits of Learning: Responsible, Reliable Management of Online Activity For Module 3: Citizenship, of the Flat Classroom Teacher Course, we have been assigned 'Quadblog' groups; this gives us a taste of what it is like to try to work asynchronously towards a common goal with people we don't know and who are in different time zones. My group has been assigned the topic of Individual Awareness , which is one of the areas of awareness that permeate every area of digital citizenship. Within each of the five areas of awareness - technical, individual, social, cultural and global - there are four "rays of understanding": Safety, Privacy, Copyright, Fair Use, and Legal Compliance; Etiquette and Respect; Habits of Learning: Responsible, Reliable Management of Online Activity, and Literacy and Fluency. For the Quadblog group, I am tackling the understanding of Habits of Learning: Responsible, Reliable Management of Online Activity within the concept of individu...

Collaboration: The Legacy

Dipping my toes... For the first three months of 2013, I took part in my first MOOC, 'Designing a New Learning Environment' offered by Stanford University via an initiative called Venture Lab . I signed up because it ties in with my Octopus's Garden Project and also because I wanted to experience this Flat Classroom-global-type of learning for myself. The course required us to watch weekly lectures and complete readings; for assessment we had to submit five individual assignments, one final team assignment and five peer assessments of other final projects. We signed up for teams of our choice and developed an area within new learning environments; developing our final project design based on our findings, readings and experience. Leading & Contributing I became team leader late on in the project as the original one, the one who set up the actual topic, went quiet and dropped off the radar. Having 40000 people taking part in a course makes it hard to communicate wi...

It's all about Choice and Voice

Collaborative Planning in PBL In Phase 3 of The Octopus's Garden Project, Grade 7 and Grade 8 have been working on the importance of visuals in getting their message across clearly and effectively to their audience. They recently collaborated to decide how to proceed with their final design presentations. Using the feedback and reflections from their Phase 2 presentations, along with some lesson on slide design and visual story-telling, they created a list of guidelines to guide their final designs. Introduction to Slide Design: 7 Rules for Creating Effective Slides from Alex Rister Lots of critical thinking happened as learners made important decisions about how teams would be formed, how the presentation would work, what would be included and the order each section would occur in. Learners took part in a poll to decide on team formation for this Phase and then, using the guidelines and learning from the slides above, worked on planning out...

Building Feedback Literacy: Quantitative Insights into Feedback, Rubrics, and Formative Assessment

Feedback has long been recognised as one of the most significant factors influencing student achievement. Quantitative evidence, particularly from large-scale meta-analyses, consistently demonstrates that feedback interventions produce some of the highest effect sizes of any educational practice (Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Wisniewski, Zierer, & Hattie, 2020). Yet, these same studies reveal a wide variation in outcomes, with some forms of feedback accelerating learning substantially, while others appear ineffective, or even detrimental. This paradox highlights a crucial challenge for educators: the mere presence of feedback is insufficient. Its impact depends on how clearly it communicates goals, how effectively it guides students’ next steps, and whether learners possess the capacity to interpret and apply it. This capacity is increasingly described as feedback literacy; the skills and dispositions students require to make sense of, use, and seek feedback to improve their learni...

The Octopus's Garden - Inspired Creativity

I was amazed today at how much a simple rearrangement of the learning has rearranged the thinking space. Immediately today, my Grade 8s utilised all the different possibilites - the make-shift Chrome Books (though we have some issues there regarding speed and applications), the Macs, the floor, the paper and paint and crayons - they were painting, sculpting with paper, making collages, Prezis and Pixton cartoons; they shared work and gave feedback and collaborated more than they ever had - it was awesome and made me even more exciting to roll out the project. Look what has happened with a shift of furniture. Imagine the possibilities when we rethink and customise the whole space... :)

Teacher Geeks: Technology Professionals

In the latest module of my Masters in Education and Instructional Technology, we studied "Administration of Technology Initiatives: Planning, Budgeting, and Evaluation". This involved us exploring how to research and write for grants, as well as design and plan at both classroom and school initiative level. As many schools are implementing technology into their curriculum, it is important that we think about the role that educators and technology integrators can play in successful technology use in the classroom. This following is my research into technology professionals conducted during the summer of 2016. I have since gained employment elsewhere and am no longer working at the school mentioned in this paper. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Technology Professionals: The ‘Interview’ With the advent of technology becoming more prevalent in schools, many establishments...

Exploring Learning

Search This Blog