What is a Wiki?
Definition: A wiki is a Web site that allows users to add and update content on the site using their own Web browser. This is made possible by Wiki software that runs on the Web server. Wikis end up being created mainly by a collaborative effort of the site visitors.
What exactly is a wiki? Watch and learn!
(wetpaint wikis for education)
Video created by the great folks at CommonCraft--3 minute video creators extraordinaire!
There are a myriad of uses for wikis including large-scale projects, schools, classrooms, reports, presentations, and many, many more uses that are limited only by your imagination.
Some simple guidelines and tips for using wikis in the classroom can be found in the article "A Wiki for Classroom Writing" by Brian Morgan and Richard D. Smith.
Vicki Davis (CoolCatTeacher) has a great blog post about the art of using wikis in the classroom. She includes her guidelines as well as links to the many wikis she uses with her students.
Two other great tools for creating wikis include WetPaint Wikis and WikiSpaces. Although there are many others available, these are some of the most popular. I've used pbworks for this wiki.
Wikipedia has a list of notable sites using the wiki format that you may find helpful.
Tutorial - This video will walk you through the basics.
Some additional resources can be found at these links:
wikis.pdf wikisaslegitimate research sources.pdf
While wikis provide an interesting and accessible tool for collaborative work with students, there can be an easy shift back to regular teacher-driven methods in their use as it is difficult and challenging to continue to facilitate collaboration throughout a wiki project. That is, as we already know, the technology itself does not develop the skill, nor is it the teacher; the technology is only a tool, and teachers must remain committed to the collaborative process if students are to fully engage and develop the skills necessary to work collaboratively with their peers. Check out this article by Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano , as she blogs her thoughts about creating a student center wiki.
Classroom Examples:
- A wiki about classroom wikis
- High School Biology Teacher Webpage
- High School English Teacher Media Anaylsis Class
- Mrs. Goneau's 2nd Grade Classroom Wiki (from Random Lake, WI)
- A study hall wiki!
- Article: Wiki-Centric Learning from THE Journal. High school teachers use wikis to manage their classrooms and create online collaboration opportunities. With wikis, their students can complete assignments, learn from each other, and communicate with their peers from around the world.
- Roe Library Wiki-A library wiki page that features a Glogster page for entry to services.
Other Useful Wikis:
Copyright-Friendly and Copyleft Images and Sound (Mostly!)for Use in Media Projects and Web Pages, Blogs, Wikis, etc. Most of the media in these collections are attached to generous copyright licensing. Though you may not need to ask permission to use them when publishing on the Web for educational purposes, you should cite or attribute these images to their creators unless otherwise notified! If you see any copyright notices on these pages, read them for further instructions.
Note: always check individual licensing notices before publishing on the Web or broadcasting!