Wridea

http://www.wridea.com


As a Web 2.0 Tool Wridea would be classified as a Reflection Tool.


This tool is a reflection/brainstorming site with a little bit of social networking added into it just to make it collaborative enough to want to try. Although there are several implications for using this tool (creative writing projects, business plans, software authoring, etc.) it is hard to come up with many exciting uses that cannot be done with other more well-known tools that are out there. For me, using Google Docs or Google products in general can get the job done without having to go out there and hunt down a site such as Wridea.com. The site is clean and simple, but it may be too simple. I think it needs some feature upgrades such as importing/exporting abilities, the ability to use Facebook/Google/Twitter logins, and more social media capabilities that are common to other social network sites such as embed code and a decent help file within the website. Some functionality is unclear to me and non-intuitive such as the "Search in this page" function. Trying to use the "Remove category" function under the Categories menu item does not seem to work, either.


What do you need to know before using this tool? (What skills do you need to have?)


Using a browser, basic keyboarding skills, and some creativity


What do you need to have before using this tool? (Resources)


You, a computer, an internet connection and ideas.


How do you use this tool? (Write the basic steps using a numbered list)


For the following instructions, I used screen shots created with a function native to the Mac operating system. It is a UNIX-based program called "screen capture." In the graphical user interface portion of the Mac OS, the keyboard shortcut to use this function is COMMAND (Apple Key) + SHIFT + 4


Wridea Sign-Up Instructions


1. Point your browser to http://www.wridea.com


2. Click on the "Sign Up Now" button on the page.

3. Fill in form with your information (Email address, Name, Password and Nick Name. If someone is already using the username you want, try using another one instead.

4. After you have completed this step, it should look like this.

5. Write down the URL to your personal Wridea.com address.

6. Click the "Sign Up Free" button.

7. Sign in to your new Wridea.com account by using your username and password.

8. Congratulations! You have successfully logged in to your new Wridea.com account.

9. Select the Ideaboard" menu option and click on "Create a new page" to start each new idea page.

10. Click the "Add new idea" menu option to add a new idea.

Here is a scenario of how this tool might be used in a teaching environment:


In a teaching environment, I can see this tool being used as a way to supplement the process of writing a screenplay. People have a lot of ideas and a way to associate them with keywords and in a visual, organized fashion. Perhaps using this site in conjunction with a tablet or a slate-type mobile device may be best. This way, someone can get the feeling at least that they are actually jotting down ideas in a meaningful and personalized manner. If the students do not have access to tablet hardware, they can always use laptops or desktops. I would probably have the students maintain a Wridea page that they use from start to finish to assist them with the writing of their collaborative screenplay project. Once they have done that, they could do a follow-up assignment where they submit a sketch of how they were able to  use Wridea to assist them in the process from start to finish.


Below are the screen shots I took of the Collaborative Screenplay Writing Project that I am suggesting. I had a link for you to be able to go to on a publicly viewable web page hosted by Wridea.com, but apparently there are several functions that are not "functioning" on the Wridea.com website.


Here is a list of each component of the Collaborative Screenplay Writing Project.

Here, I have highlighted the first section in the project called "New Idea." New Idea has several options that we will take a closer look at. Take a closer look:

Let's take a look at the "Details" section. Here is what it looks like:

When you click on "Details," you get a pop-up window that shows an overview of the idea for the Collaborative Screenplay Writing Project:

Comments on whatever has been written in the "Details" section can be made.

When you click on "Comments" you can make and format a comment.

Here is the "Move to" option.

When you click on it, a pop-up window comes up that allows you to move different ideas to other pages within your Wridea account.

Here is a detail of the drop-down menu within the "Move to" pop-up window:

Next is the "Select" option.

The "Select" option allows you to select multiple ideas and move them to other pages. You can also delete multiple ideas within a page using this option.

The "Dialogue" section is just another idea area like "New Idea" except it would be used to post ideas for dialogue within the screenplay.

The "Props" idea page is to keep track and organize all of the props that come up during the writing process.

The "Scenes" idea page allows for a quick view of each of the scenes within the screenplay and enables everyone to comment and re-order the scenes.

The "Character Sketches" area would enable everyone to contribute to the "fleshing out" process of each of the characters in the screenplay. Comments could be made, details added or erased, etc.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?


I think that an advantage of using this tool in a teaching environment would be that each student automatically has a sense of ownership when they have their own online account to a website. It brings a level of "officialness" to it. What's more is that they can collaborate with friends or a group that they build within the site themselves. The social aspect of this is always a way to get more than one head together thinking about a project.


Would you recommend this Web 2.0 tool to others, or suggest that they explore a different tool?


I would, but with a warning: Wridea.com is not ready for prime time and does not offer up heavy social media functionality, seems non-intuitive, and buggy. You will probably end up signing up for an account and forgetting about it.