Unit 6: Wikis

I have only created one wiki before and it was for another course. Editing the course was not difficult, but I found it necessary to know some HTML to format my page appropriately. I also needed to be aware of what pictures could be added to my site. Wikis are reviewed often for accuracy and copyright concerns. Pictures added to wiki sites can be taken down without notice. The person owning the wiki can see changes made to the page when viewing the history. A wiki owner may also find changes made to the page by other users. The ability to update information as it is happening by multiple users makes wikis a powerful tool to connect the world. Everyday, thousands of people who have no connection to one another engage in the purposeful work of negotiating and creating truth (Richardson, 2010, p. 57).

Depending how a teacher wants to use a wiki in the classroom, there are some things to consider. When using free wiki sites, students may be faced with others posting inappropriate material or making inaccurate changes to the page. If teachers were to use a wiki on a site such as Moodle, the teachers could create the wiki and students would only be able to interact with each other instead of outside changes being made. Just as one would with any online activity, the teacher must explain what might be an appropriate posting.

Once all the problems are considered, there are many educational uses of wikis, too. One of the most obvious ways is to create an online text for your curriculum that you and your students can both contribute to (p. 61). Students can continually update the information as they progress through a course. A wikibook can also be used to showcase student work. Each student can contribute a page relating to the theme of a unit. The end result is a final product that can be used to demonstrate concepts learned throughout a course.

Reference:
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.