Journal 7 Wikis - NETS-T V

Nearly everyone who has access to a computer has heard of Wikipedia and has probably used it as a resource for a concise and knowledgeable summary of information on just about any topic under the sun. Although I knew Wikipedia was a collaborative site, I was unsure of what wikis are and of how a wiki relates to Wikipedia until I visited the Classroom 2.0 link on the Ed 422 class blog. Selecting the wikis link on the site, I followed the threads of the following links:

1. Wikispaces vs. PBworks (previously PBwiki) by Chris Fritz;
2. Where to direct colleagues who don't know where to start by Adina Sullivan;
3. Web 2.0 Tutorial for educators by Andrew Robitaille.

The first two discussion threads contained some useful information about Bloglines and RSS feeds appropriate for 4th-6th graders as well as useful tips for teachers already familiar with wikis. From the discussion threads at these two sites, I deduced that wikis are useful for creating a quick webpage, for ease of maintenance, collaborative projects, and brainstorming ideas around a specific content area, but there was nothing in the discussions that really told me in plain English exactly what a wiki is. I continued to look through several more discussion threads.

When I visited Andrew Robitaille's discussion and wiki page, I found it to be a goldmine of useful information, including hyperlinks and video clips of brief and helpful tutorials on Web 2.0 tools, including wikis. Tutorials on other Web 2.0 tools include RSS feeds, social bookmarking (www.delicious.com), blogs, and other collaborative tools. A Links and Resources hotlink provides further detailed information on Web 2.0 technology tools.

A wiki is a website that can be quickly and collaboratively edited. The content can be changed and updated by any authorized user so that the wiki reflects the combined knowledge and expertise of its many users. All you need to set up a wiki account is a standard web browser, such as Mozilla Firefox, and an email address. To set up a free wiki account, visit one of three host sites: Wikispaces, Wetpaint, or PBworks (formerly PBwiki). Enter a Space or domain Name for your wiki page related to the content area, your user name and password. Wikipedia is one of the earliest wikis that allows readers to create and update reference sites about an unlimited number of topics. Widgets like You Tube videos, a shared calendar, a photo show, or voice chat can be plugged into wikis, but the primary functions are to Edit, Write and Save information.

A wiki page records the history of a document as it is created, edited and revised. Each time the page is edited, the newly revised version becomes the current version and older versions are stored. Older versions can be easily accessed to compare them with the most recent version, and can be "rolled back" to an earlier version if necessary.

Wikis are useful for K-12 educators to organize course content around a specific topic or project, such as a collaborative group report on world hunger. Wikis can also be used to take polls, share research data, or brainstorm ideas. The home page of the wiki should be kept fairly general, serving primarily as a platform for collaborative information gathering and discussion. By incorporating wikis into the classroom, teachers can better prepare students to work collaboratively in innovative and creative ways, employing skills of synthesis, reflective evaluation, and consensus building as they contribute to the wiki page. A discussion forum can be a valuable addition to the page as well.