Are wikis worth it?

Aims:What?Why?How?

Are wikis worth it?"Wiki" (/wiːkiː/) is a Hawaiian word for "fast"

What’s a WikiFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A wiki is a collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone with access to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language.Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. The collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia is one of the best-known wikis.Wikis are used in business to provide intranet and knowledge management systems. Ward Cunningham, the developer of the first wiki software, WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as "the simplest online database that could possibly work."

Wikis/blogs etc are all just websites. The distinguishing

characteristic of a wiki is that it has multiple editors, and that the

content is collaborative.

Thinking“…developing understanding, making decisions, shaping actions, or constructing knowledge. Students who are competent thinkers and problem-solvers actively seek, use, and create knowledge.”

Using language, symbols, and texts“…use languages and symbols to produce texts of all kinds…and use words, number, images, movement, metaphor, and technologies in a range of contexts. They confidently use ICT (including, where appropriate, assistive technologies) to access and provide information and to communicate with others.”

Managing self“This competency is associated with self-motivation, a “can-do” attitude, and with students seeing themselves as capable learners.”

Relating to others“…interacting effectively with a diverse range of people in a variety of contexts. This competency includes the ability to listen actively, recognise different points of view, negotiate, and share ideas. By working effectively together, they can come up with new approaches, ideas, and ways of thinking.”

Participating and contributing“This competency is about being actively involved in communities. This competency includes a capacity to contribute appropriately as a group member, to make connections with others, and to create opportunities for others in the group.”

- The New Zealand CurriculumWikis can be one way of reflecting the Key Competencies in an ICT context.

“There's a statistical theory that if you gave a million monkeys typewriters and set them to work, they'd eventually come up with the complete works

of Shakespeare. Thanks to the Internet, we now know this isn't true.”

- Professor Robert Wilenski Author, Computer Scientist and Director of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Project

As with any published work, quality of content is key.

There are many wikis available, covering a range of topics and

interests.

Wikipedia Wiktionary Wikiquote Wikibooks Wikisource Wikispecies Wikinews Wikiversity

The most famous wiki project is wikipedia, part of the Wikimedia suite.

There are many lesser known wikis, with devoted communities of

contributors.

Including some created purely for entertainment…

http://www.wetpaint.com

http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers

http://www.pbworks.com

There are a number of free hosted services for creating your own

wiki.

I chose PB wiki (which has now become PBWorks), as it had a good interface for my Y5 maths

group.

There are pay or free accounts available.

Setting up is easy – just come up with a name and configure a few

basic design settings.

Next, you create a frontpage.

Once this is set up, you can create usernames and passwords for your

students.

The space can be used to post notes and areas for revision.

1. Inclined to find fault or criticize; fastidious; captious; censorious; exacting. My teacher is very critical.

2. Relating to criticism, such as literary or film criticismThe movie was a critical success, but bombed at the box-office.

Source: Wiktionary.com

Students can also comment (although it is crucial that they know how to be critical in a constructive

and respectful way).

Each page on the wiki can be edited by clicking on the edit tab at

the top. This turns it into a word processor window.

Children can then collaborate on their work.

…and can express their ideas.

…there are a series of 30-second help videos available for those who

are new to wikis.

Webinars: http://www.vimeo.com/pbwiki

+ * Great for compiling notes and ideas * Instantly collaborative * Accessible from anywhere with an internet connection * A culmulative record of work produced

* Everyone has an opportunity to contribute and collaborate. - * Safety/privacy/equity * Can easily get messy, and content is not always accurate. * Needs to be monitored closely * Can be vulnerable to “vandalism” * Requires some technical skill * Doesn’t usually have back-up functions.

So, are wikis worth it?

Class Dictionary/GlossaryHomework Wiki

Reading Group Wiki/Book ClubMaths Wiki

Collaborative Creative WritingClass Inquiry HubOngoing ePortfolio

Syndicate Encyclopedia

…a few possible wiki ideas.

Are wikis worth it?alanj@titirangi.school.nz