All You Need To Know About Wikis!

Wiki is a unique system that provides multiple resources for web based discussions and forums. It offers a multitude of assets for a person to draw information from. The difference between the wikis system and the conventional web pages is that the information is a community processes that is always evolving to make the information as accurate as possible while the latter is very limited. The most current concern regarding wikis is the security but for uses in corporate and education settings there is typically a registration process to complete and pass. After understanding what a wiki is and how it operates we need to know how it is beneficial in the education system. Wikis has become a tool for teachers because it offers a way to create group discussions on a common interest and it also offers discussions that can be solved in multiple ways which is a huge plus in group think. Wiki is a great way to allow students to offer individual input which makes up a great group project. This is a revolutionary tool for technology in education and the positives of this program exceed any doubts.

In my opinion of wikis being used in education is very collaborative. The whole point of wikis being used is to get students to take part in what is going on and add their own opinion and add more thought to what the topic is being discussed. I think it is a great way for students to open up and to give an input on what the topic is. " Rather than virtually jumping into an ongoing online collaboration, even to offer positive comments, it may ultimately be more productive to allow students to challenge and correct each other -- the teacher only posting comments, questions or suggestions when absolutely neccessary. As a constructivist learning activity, wikis allow students to "own" their learning experience in an online collaborative environment." I think that this quote explains it all when involving students and wikis in the classroom.

Wikis are a unique tool to be used in education. It is unique for the fact that it has many authors and contributors instead of only one like most web pages. This could be beneficial in the classroom if you decided to create a website for your class with activities and lessons. Wikis makes it possible for other teachers to be able to add content to your page that you could you use in your class. Wikis unlike regular websites has open editing so you can at any time go back and change and update your page. Where with regular pages there is limited editing you can do. Another plus is that they are relatively easy to create. Making them user friendly for those who are not too computer savy. Where normal webpages are harder to create and require more computer knowledge. Teachers have also found it helpful to construct wiki problems and allow students to collaborate with each other to solve them. So overall I think that Wikis are a useful tool to be used in the classroom.

"The characteristic that has most strikingly set wikis apart from other web based forums and discussions is that of multiple contributors" Wikis are not just a regular web based forum. With the ability to have numerous editors and authors as opposed to blogs, who has one main author, I think wikis are a more productive web forum. The idea that a group of contributors can edit each page, and add their own personal interests is very useful. Everybody can work together to make sure the content is accurate. I think it's important for students to have the opportunity to challenge each other in the classroom, it gives students motive to work harder in their education. Overall, I like the idea that students can add their own contributions to wikis while working together.

"As a constructivist learning activity, wikis allow students to "own" their learning experience in an online collaborative environment" (sdsu.edu). The two most important words in this statement are "own" and "collaborative." Wikis allow students to "own" their work because they are direct participants of the creation and constant development of the wikis. Not only are they authors, they are editors as well. By being authors and creators of their articles, a sense of creativity and purpose are instilled in the student. By editing their own work, as well as others, they enhance their language, grammar and research skills. In addition to "owning" their wiki, students also experience a collaborative learning style when developing and editing their wikis. Students learn team-work and communication skills when working in a collaborative learning situation. They learn to share ideas and thoughts with others and also learn to accept opinions and ideas from others. These collaborative skills are sometimes hard to acquire in a classroom setting, therefore integrating wikis into general lesson plans are a great idea for students of all ages.

While pursuing this subject further you can find examples of wikis throughout the internet. I found out who developed the first wiki which was wikiwikiweb. I found a website with a lot of valuable information about wikis. If you look at the first link you will find lots of answer to questions you may have about how to use wikis and also how to use them for certain purposes. This second link also provide good background information as to who started wikis and how they got their name. After you have read all of this information you will have a new found view of such a great invention, especially for the classroom!
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WelcomeVisitors
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiHistory