WIKIS

by Stacy Bato and Lisa Goodwin

February 11, 2009

(source: www.ikiw.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/working-the-wiki-way.jpg)

Q. How many Wiki people does it take to change a lightbulb?

A. One, but anyone can change it back

(source: www.langreiter.com/space/2005-11-06-lightWiki)

What are Wikis?

A Wiki is a webpage or a collection of several webpages that allows any user who has access to the page to easily edit or modify the content from anywhere in the world at any time. A user can add, edit, delete and link information to the wiki as they please.  This makes it extremely useful for businesses, students, and educators to collaborate on specific subjects.  Wikis are a great way to keep groups of people informed and involved, wherever and whenever!  Wikis also help groups of people working together to stay organized by creating multiple pages on their wiki. The most well-known wiki today is Wikipedia, which is currently the most popular general reference work on the Internet.

Still don't understand what exactly a wiki is and/or does? Here's a fun video:

(source: www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english)

History of Wikis

The first wiki was created by Ward Cunningham on March 25, 1995, which he named WikiWikiWeb. Wikis were created because Cunningham wanted a software that made the exchange of ideas between programmers easier and allowed users to "comment on and change one another's text." The term "wiki" came from the Hawaiian shuttle bus called "Wiki Wiki" which means "quick."

(source: www.wiki.ed.ac.uk/download/attachments/856617/flickr-WikiWiki-small.jpg)

Ideas of how Wikis can be used in the classroom

• Wikis can help keep parents involved with their child's assignments and events by checking the class wiki made by the teacher.
• Students can post their work on a class wiki and their peers can give feedback and comments in a forum-type setting.
• Literary circle discussions can be held on wikis, where students can ask questions and share their thoughts about a particular book. This also preserves their discussions, which can be easily accessed at a later time or during class.
• Group projects can be done on a wiki, where a teacher can easily track the progress and contribution of each student.
• Teachers can share and suggest information with their students, such as books or articles to read. Students can then post reviews and share thoughts and ideas with their peers.

Examples of Wikis being used in a classroom

timfredrick.pbwiki.com/

terrythetennisball.wikispaces.com/

(source: cgsmacbeth1.wetpaint.com/)

Resources for Future Learning

PBwiki Webinar

Basic Wiki How-to

Slideshow Tutorial

PBwiki Demo

Application to Future Teaching

writingwiki.org/default.aspx/WritingWiki/For%20Teachers%20New%20to%20Wikis.html

wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Wiki_in_a_K-12_classroom

www.slideshare.net/coolcatteacher/wikis-in-the-classroom

www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/wikiideas1.cfm

www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/

Other Resources

wiki.org/wiki.cgi

pbwiki.com/academic.wiki 

c2.com/cgi/wiki

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia#Wikipedia_community 

Feedback Survey

Questions or Comments? Let us know below!