What is a Wiki?

From TechHelp

A wiki is a web site that is created collaboratively. The basic premise behind a wiki is to create a collaborative environment around a common goal. Most likely the most well known wiki is Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that is constructed from a worldwide community. The origin of the wiki concept began as a solution for computer programmers who wanted to share information about programs they were creating.

1 How to use a wiki
2 Wiki's in Education
3 Why Use a Wiki?
4 Hands On
5 Wiki Resources

[edit] How to use a wiki

When you are considering starting a wiki, it is a good idea to perform an extensive internet search because there are hundreds of thousands of wikis available on the web. Given that there are so many wikis are available means that there is a good chance that there is a wiki for the topic(s) you intend to start one. For more about starting a wiki read the Wiki Science:How to start a wiki Wikibook.

To learn more about how to edit a wiki like this particular wiki (MediaWiki) visit the Wiki Editing article.

[edit] Wiki's in Education

Wiki software, whether it is a free service like PBWiki, Wikispaces, or a server installed wiki like MediaWiki provides users a collaborative work space. Wikis can be used for a variety of reasons, whether sharing information within a small group of users (Flat Classroom Project) or a world wide community (i.e. - Wikipedia).

To begin with you have to realize that a wiki is really to create a collaborative community. Whether this is a single classroom or something much larger. Wikis are really blank slates until the community creates it.

One way you might initial choose to use a wiki is to have students complete a basic class assignment. So for example if you have a collaborative task where groups of students have to think of a way to address an essential question you could use the wiki for the students to work in. Structuring the conversation in a way that the article represents the group consensus and the discussion area is the place that students work out their problems and discuss what the think is the "correct" answer. Will Richardson, a former English teacher and technologist, also has a list of wikis and other resources that teachers are using in the classroom. His site is just one good place to find out how educators across the world are using technologies similar to wiki.

The great thing about wiki is that it allows people to post information quickly and in a format that can be changed as easily as it grows. Integrating this type of software into the classroom could really change the way a student contributes to the classroom, and the way a teacher maintains their curriculum resources. One way a teacher might be able to use this is for their curriculum. Imagine being able to take the huge folders that you once had and being able to create a searchable place that students could access.

Now the students from last years class can refer back to a place that they need, or an incoming student could look to see what they might need to brush up on before getting to class. Also the current student could access information that they need. The simple fact that students could easily find documents that the teacher has given out saves precious time for teachers and classroom time.

There are multiple ways that student could use a wiki. A wiki could be used as an organizational tool for a paper, or other assignments the student has. A teacher could have students create accounts on something like PBWiki. If the teacher made sure that they had access to the accounts they could check each students progress and makes comments on their work. Knowing that feedback on assignments helps students as they work towards the end goal can have a positive impact on student learning the fact that feedback can come before the project is complete allows students to reach higher levels of thinking.

Here is an example from Bud the teacher of an educational wiki. He is using it as a classroom resource that is being created by students and colleagues. These relate to the writing assignments that are done relating to his English class.

Another example is being done by 10th grade students at Job Interview. Their teacher is having them construct this around their computer science classes.

Here is another example of a wiki in school. This comes from the New York City Writing Project.

These are just some of the wikis that teachers have been creating with their students. Each has taken the wiki concept and applied it to their own classroom environment

[edit] Why Use a Wiki?

To give you the opportunity to work on a wiki and contribute to this small community we would like to pose this question to you: What are the benefits of a collaborative space for students? We would like you to use this wiki page for you answers. First you need to create an account. Fill in the form by entering a username that you would like to use, type in your password and verify it, then enter your email, and real name. Now you will be able to edit the page with your user id. You will also receive an email from the wiki so that you can login later on. Once you are logged in the first thing we would like you to do is go to your user page so that you can add some basic information about yourself for example here is Tadge O'Brien's user page. To access your page look in the top right hand corner of the page and you will see your username click on this and it will open a page that you can create in. Simply add plain text in the area and then click the Save Page button at the bottom of the screen. Now you have a user page.

So now onto the question.

What are the benefits of a collaborative space for students?

To answer this question go to the top of this page and click the discussion link. Then take a look at the discussion and add your comments there.

User Comment: Well, why use a wiki? It's a question of application, use, and purpose...none of use really has a good answer, but we go with the flow.

[edit] Hands On

So now that you have some basic ideas on what a wiki is and why it might be useful to you and your students lets take a look at the basics of wiki. Step one in editing a wiki is to find out if anyone else has created a page on your topic already. Why reinvent the wheel right? To do this you will want to locate the Search box on the wiki that you are using. In Media wiki, this wiki software, the box is located on the left hand side of the screen.

The search looks at all of the article pages for the text that you have entered.

View other examples of wikis: