wiki

What is a Wiki?
Wiki is a Hawaiian word for “quickly” and can be defined as: a type of website that allows the visitors to add, remove, and sometimes edit the available content. This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for collaborative authoring. A wiki is a web page or collection of pages that anyone can view, contribute to, and edit. Perhaps the most famous example of a wiki is [|Wikipedia], an online encyclopedia that is being collaboratively created by people from all over the world. Many wikis share certain features that make collaborative editing simpler. Wikis allow users to view previous versions, revert to older versions, and receive notifications of any changes made. Some wikis also provide a place for discussion so that users can consult each other about proposed changes. Wikis encourage group interaction and collaboration and afford communication among users. There is a wide variety of [|wiki software] available for educational use, ranging from no- to low-cost.

[|Commoncraft] gives a visual explanation of wikis in this video:

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Why should we use it in the classroom?
We should use wikis in the classroom because they are collaborative forums that all members can contribute to and edit. Cooperative learning in the classroom is so important because students tend to make a greater investment and become active learners. The wiki medium is tailor-made for collaborative assignments allowing students to access the page and make edits simultaneously. The students are able to revert to previous versions of the wiki in case editing errors are made. An instructor administrating the wiki is also able to view the history of the page to see who is contributing and what content they are adding, editing, or removing. This gives group projects a level of accountability that isn't normally available in group work. Wiki collaboration also allows students to practice the real-world skill of working with a team to decide what information belongs and what does not. This type of decision-making teaches teamwork skills, such as acting respectfully during times of disagreement and the ability to provide strong support for one's argument.

Wikis allow for the learning to build on previous years and will [|grow organically over time]. The medium allows teachers to display numerous examples of previous student's work in an area enclosed by the computer screen.

Wikis can be particularly effective in an online learning environment to enhance class collaboration and cohesion. Where normally online students can feel isolated, using a wiki as a learning tool can develop a sense of community as students work together to develop an idea, project, or database.

Wikis are also great tools for grade level teams. Teachers can post lessons and resources on the wiki and share with one another. Materials lists can be created and edited for special events/celebrations. They can also be used with parent volunteers to list items needed such as class supplies, food for celebrations, etc. Following is a list of uses for wikis taken from an [|article.]
 * Student-generated websites
 * Project development with peers
 * Group authoring
 * Tracking a group project
 * Data collection
 * Reviews of classes, teachers, books, etc.
 * Presentations
 * Directing research

Teachers interested in setting up their own class wiki can go [|here].

What risks are associated with Wikis?
Any open discussion has risks built into it, and a wiki is no exception. One of the dangers with using one in a classroom is the use of inappropriate comments and language from the students. Bullying and harassing behavior takes place online, just as it does in person, and an unmonitored wiki is vulnerable to such behavior. Of course, it is possible to monitor and limit who and how the comments are made on a wiki, but that works against the very openness that is a key element of wikis. A way to mitigate against bullying or inappropriate comments is to remove anonymity from the users and make sure each logs in with a known user name.

Another drawback to a wiki is the possibility for inaccurate information posted as fact. Students must be instructed on distinguishing between fact and opinion. This will prove valuable when working within a wiki format since the possibility exists that opinion may be misrepresented as fact. Students then reading the information may assume it is accurate and build the remainder of their knowledge around a misconception. Carefully monitoring of the wiki is necessary, but more importantly, instructors need to model and provide guidance to students on differentiating between fact and opinion. Metacognitive strategies are especially valuable since they require students to actively review and consider the information they are reading.

Another drawback to wikis, if used by teachers as a team, is that one teacher will be doing all of the editing and the others will not contribute. There is also the chance that participants with little experience will be hesitant to add to or edit other peoples work. This goes right back to the [|90-9-1 theory]. This is an issue and needs to be discussed right away with the team who will be using the wiki.

User inexperience is a major drawback for using wikis in the classroom. A class can spend a lot of time and hard work contributing information on a wiki and then one student who has never used a wiki could edit and delete all of the information. Weeks or months of information could be lost in a push of one button.

Wikis create a collaborative atmosphere for learners to share ideas and express their feelings about discussion topics. Another problem with using them in the classroom is that "pushy, know-it-all" students may take advantage of other students by using the wiki to edit and overpower the ideas of others. It's important that all users have the opportunity to express their ideas. The misuse of the wiki could create a hostile environment, causing students with low self-esteem to retreat and not use the wiki to share their ideas for fear of being humiliated or having their idea deleted or edited.

Some school districts will block wikis, blogs, and other sites in which users can edit content and post comments. The fear is that the students may come into contact with questionable content posted by another user. If this is a concern, the administrator of the wiki or blog should set up their site so that only members of the group of students or teachers can edit, comment, or post to the site. Any questionable content that then appears must have been contributed by a user from the group, who can then be identified. If this is made clear early on, the wiki or blog should stay free of negative commentary.

Examples of use in the classroom

 * Book reviews, students review and summarize books they are reading to recommend them to other students. [|(Example)]
 * Glossary of class terms, such as this handbook does for Web 2.0 terms. It could be used for geography terms, theater terms, scientific terms, etc. One of the advantages of a wiki as a glossary site is that images representing or symbolizing the terms can easily be attached to them to help the visual learners.
 * Brainstorming ideas, such as creating lists for class rules, or comparing the weakness/strengths of different government structures, or the causes of drought in Southern California.
 * For writers' workshop and other shared writing programs, students can use wikis to create massive lists of writing prompts and story starters.
 * For teacher or student-created study guides for units of study. Students can add information on key concept and compile useful links to refer to before a major project or test. (example)
 * Student-generated math solution manuals ([|like this one])
 * Develop English language literacy in [|ELL/ESL] populations
 * Summarize [|class notes]
 * Project information or tracking. Students involved in larger-scale group projects might use a wiki to manage the project and keep up to date on what each other has accomplished.
 * For some more ideas, go [|here]!
 * Salute to Seuss Wiki
 * Sign up lists for parent volunteers, field trip chaperones, items for celebrations, etc.
 * Vocabulary- students and teachers could add words and definitions to new works they have used. Others then would be able to enter and post definitions. It is susceptible to incorrect information so it would need to be closely monitored.
 * Use the wiki to teach teachers about things happening on campus, to store forms and curriculum, and to work collaboratively with other teachers. Administrators can also use a wiki to share important faculty information and keep the site private to the school. This will save paper and keep the faculty/staff informed.

=**Wiki Resources:**=
 * Wikispaces
 * [|pb wiki]
 * [|Wikis in the Classroom]
 * [|Googlesites]