Welcome to the Wikis for Teaching, Learning, and Collaborating blog posting. Wikis are quickly becoming a preferred Web 2.0 tool, "tearing down the walls" to enhance and facilitate learning, communication, and collaboration between students, teachers, and classroom content. You will learn how easy it is to use wikis and to tackle any educational collaborative purpose in your K-12 classroom.
Through this post, we will discuss the following:
Through this post, we will discuss the following:
- What is a wiki?
- Why should you use it in the K-12 environment?
- How are wikis being used in K-12 education?
- How do I get started using a wiki?
- Is there a way to practice using a wiki?
WHAT IS A WIKI?
A wiki, which is the Hawaiian word for "quick," is a Web 2.0 learning tool that allows individuals to interact, communicate, and collaborate with one another through a single Web-based medium. It can be thought of as a combination of a Web page and an editable document, but instead of having a single author, there may be multiple authors that edit and contribute content to the page. It is not necessary to know a programming language or code or to download any special software. All the sharing of information and the creating of content can easily be done within a web browser or even using a web-enabled smartphone**
For K-12 teachers, wikis can be used as a collaborative tool between:
For K-12 teachers, wikis can be used as a collaborative tool between:
- teacher and teacher
- teacher and student
- student and student
Types of Wikis
- Purchased Solutions: These are wiki solutions that are hosted on a user's personal, in-house Web server (rather than an external server). Individuals are able to install the wiki application onto their own server, allowing them to maintain, as well as adjust and modify it to meet their needs.
- Open-Source/Public Domain Solutions: This is one of two externally hosted wiki server options. This is a free Web hosting service that individuals can use by simply signing up for an account through a wiki site. Open-source/public domain solutions offer limited services, usually providing the "basic" features of a wiki, as well as limited server space, enabling individuals to try out the services first before considering the paid, hosted solution counterpart.
- Hosted Solutions: This is the other externally hosted wiki server option. It has become common for wiki Web hosting companies to have both a hosted solution as well as an open-source/public domain solution. In the case of the "hosted solution," individuals pay a fee in order to use the site's Web hosting services and hosted wiki application (Software as a Service, n.d.). Hosted, purchased wiki solutions offer more advanced services to individuals in comparison to its open-source/public domain solution counterpart that provides the "basic" services.
WHY WIKI?
The use of wikis for teaching, learning, and collaboration provides teachers and students with a medium that is not dependent on bell schedules, school calendars, or physical location. Teachers can provide instruction and materials; students can collaborate and present, ask questions, interact with their classmates and demonstrate progress in a learning venue that is completely outside the walls of the traditional classroom and the constraints of the school day. Groups of both teachers and students can use wikis to collaborate on projects and present the results of the work to an audience. Administrators in schools can make use of wikis to free precious instructional time by presenting information and inviting response to things that traditionally required face-to-face meeting time. Professional Learning communities and other school teams can use wikis as a collaboration tool that exists outside the normal structure of the regular school day.
"Overall, I think it's a positive thing because it's not as conventional as things like essays or formal assignments that you have to print out and turn in…it seems a little more flexible and a different, interesting way to discuss books or other assignment where we can express our thoughts in a less formal environment " - McKenna D., a Senior at Miliani High School (from The Trojan Times) |
Benefits of using Wikis
- Enables the development of skills (i.e. critical thinking, investigative, consensus-building, etc.)
- Addresses Pedagogical Needs of Students
- Is accessible
- Allows for creativity
- Allows for engagement
- Encourages collaboration
EXAMPLES OF WAYS TO USE WIKIS IN K-12 EDUCATION
Mililani High School, AP European History: http://mhsapeh.wikidot.com/
50 Ways to Use Wikis: http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/
Wiki In A K-12 Classroom: http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Wiki_in_a_K-12_classroom
50 Ways to Use Wikis: http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/
Wiki In A K-12 Classroom: http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Wiki_in_a_K-12_classroom
HOW TO CREATE AND USE A WIKI
Creating and using a wiki is very simple and easy to do. There are five different steps to get started:
- Finding a wiki
- Creating a wiki
- Organizing a wiki
- Editing a wiki
- Sharing a wiki
Finding a wiki
One of the best ways to find the appropriate wiki tool for your class or for professional collaboration is to talk to colleagues who already use them. Get several suggestions and compare the features, costs, learning curves and decide what tool is appropriate for the task at hand. Determine whether or not you will be using a purchased solution, an open source/public domain solution, or a hosted solution. (Please refer the "What is a Wiki?" section for more information about these three different types of wikis.)
Creating a wiki
Organizing a wiki
Editing a wiki
Sharing a wiki
PRACTICE USING A WIKI
Here's your chance to try editing a wiki without making any commitments to sign up. Please visit any of the links below to play in a wiki sandbox!
http://www.wikisandbox.com/page/Sandbox+1
http://sandbox.wikidot.com/wiki-sandbox
http://wiki.horde.org/SandBox
http://isswikisandbox.pbworks.com
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sandbox
http://www.wikisandbox.com/page/Sandbox+1
http://sandbox.wikidot.com/wiki-sandbox
http://wiki.horde.org/SandBox
http://isswikisandbox.pbworks.com
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sandbox