Exploring Wikis
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This article explores the use of Wikis in online learning. |
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What Are Wikis?
One of the supporting tools for group projects is a wiki, named after the Hawaiian word for “quick.” A wiki is a website that allows users to add, modify, or delete its content via a web browser. If you choose to include group projects in your activities plan, you may want to incorporate the use of a wiki so that students can build a document or presentation together.
Why Use Wikis?
Wikis help make the writing or compilation of a group deliverable possible, especially for the online environment where none of the group members may live within 500 miles of each other! Use of a wiki keeps its contributors from cluttering each other’s email inbox, as each member can work on revising a single document. Wikis are useful for helping students develop cognitive skills at every level of Bloom’s taxonomy--remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create--as well as to build social skills. The end result of using a wiki can often be a deeper sense of community among team members due to their level of interaction together while working on the project.
Best Way To Use Wikis?
Wikis can be a fantastic tool for a variety of group projects, large and small. The most comprehensive collaborative project can come together in a wiki. Students can create a glossary or group study guide for an exam. The possibilities are pretty wide open.
Planning for Wikis
As with all learning activities, your choice to use a wiki depends on the learning objective and whether building a wiki will help students best meet the intended outcome. Explore the resources for group projects for additional planning suggestions.
Designing for Wikis
Rick Reo (n.d.) wrote that he prepared a wiki project that included some “scaffolding” to help students prepare for success:
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Resources
Common Craft. (2013b). Wikis in plain English. [Video File] Retrieved from http://www.commoncraft.com/video/wikis
Common Craft. (2013) Google Docs in plain English. [Video File] Retrieved from http://www.commoncraft.com/google-docs-plain-english
EDUCAUSE. (2005). 7 things you should know about Wikis. [PDF] Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf
Elgort, I., Smith, A., & Toland, J. (2008). Is wiki an effective platform for group course work? Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 24(2), 195-210.
Green, M., & Maxwell, G. (2010). Wikify your course: Designing and implementing a wiki for your learning environment. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/wikify-your-course-designing-and-implementing-wiki-your-learning-environment
Reo, R. (n.d.) Scaffolding student collaboration for group wiki projects. [PDF] Retrieved from http://sshistory.pbworks.com/f/Scaffolding%2520Student%2520Collaboration%2520for%2520Group%2520Wiki%2520Projects%2520-%2520RReo.pdf
SmartTeaching.org. (2008). 50 ways to use wikis for a more collaborative and interactive classroom. Retrieved from http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/
Wikimedia Foundation. (2012). Wikiversity: Main page. Retrieved from http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Main_Page
Examples of Wikis
Example 1
Wiki Assignment for HLTHST 300 Pathophysiology Course at Boise State University
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The teaching assistants and instructors will monitor the completion of the study guide questions for each lesson. You will receive a grade for your participation in this Group Wiki, so it is important that you post your answers in a timely manner. If you would like to discuss your answers with a teaching assistant or an instructor, you are encouraged to attend one or more of the Lesson Reviews or Office Hours offered in each lesson.
Examples and How to Use Wikis on Various Websites
Wikify Your Course: Designing and Implementing a Wiki for Your Learning Environment
- An EDUCAUSE article by Green and Maxwell, with illustrations of sample wiki projects
(3:34 minutes) - By the Common Craft Show, which is well-known for creating short videos that explain a variety of tools and concepts
- A wiki project of the Wikimedia Foundation (which also brings us Wikipedia)