
A new way to communicate... Wallwisher.com is an interesting, simple online message board tool that could be applied for online education in a variety of ways. The site is easy to use. To create a wall you can sign in using your Google ID or Open ID so you I don't have to register for yet another site in order to access a simple application. General participants, however, do not have to register at all and are able to provide a nickname when they create a post.
In addition to being used as an introductory icebreaker, it could be used to get a general consensus or comment from the group about any given topic. It could also be used to share a new idea or a brief clinical/field experience. With a little imagination, it could be used to collect thoughts over a period of time as a course progresses.
It could also be used for something as simple as organizing a potluck luncheon. Everyone sign up for something on the Wallwisher wall! It could be used to communicate brief announcements or updates since you can set up an RSS feed. At the end of a course students could post comments or "advice" to share with the next students who take the course.
The administrator can choose the background for the wall and even create a unique link of their choosing to share. According to Wallwisher, creating a wall is the next fastest thing to the speed of light. That seems a bit exaggerated, but it really quick! Once the wall is created, participants simply double-click to share text as well as a link to an image, audio, or video. Users can drag posts to rearrange them however they choose. The major limitations of the site are the 160 character limit per post and the fact that multimedia cannot be uploaded, but instead must be hosted elsewhere and a link provided. With a little creativity, I am confident these limitation can be easily overcome.
In all, I am excited about having this fun, useful tool in my arsenal.
Check it out for yourself at
wallwisher.com.