What is a wiki? Well, now I know!
The word wiki comes from a Hawaiian word meaning “quick,” and we could add “easy.” Because that is exactly what a wiki is - “a Web site where anyone can edit anything anytime they want.” (Richardson - 55).
I spent some time exploring a variety of educational wikis of all shapes, sizes, and kinds, and although I feel like they’ve been around forever, I don’t think I’ve ever visited one before now. I discovered students leaving their feedback for an assignment, inserting comments after another student’s work, and adding or deleting information. I also found people just leaving feedback, such as a “thank you” for hosting the site.
I visited PBWiki, and thought I’d try my hand at wikis, and to be honest, I had some trouble with the site. I had no issues with creating an account, but then could not verify my account through e-mail. Finally, after I made it through, the site would not allow me to edit the page, so I could not add my thoughts to the group. I thought I could just leave a comment at the bottom, but that wouldn’t work either. I don’t know what could have been causing the problems, but after about 2 hours of having created the account, I eventually was able to edit it, adding my own information.
However, after that I turned to creating my own wiki. I made it with a late-elementary/middle school class in mind, allowing students to include input on a group project, leave feedback for other’s projects, or add their own notes on a class topic. With younger elementary students, I don’t think I would actually use wikis in my classroom. Both subject and the ISTE standards are being taught by using a wiki. Students are learning to be a Creative Communicator (6), as they strive to express themselves creatively using digital tools (like wikis) appropriate to their goals. Students will be (6b) creating original works or responsibly repurposing or remixing digital resources into new creations. Students will be (6d) publishing or presenting content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences. The class as Global Communicators (7) will be using collaborative technologies to work with each other (peers, experts or community members) to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints (7) . These are just a few of the ISTE standards that apply to wikis in the classroom.
If you’re looking for some ideas to use for your wiki, check out these great resources that I found:
If you’re looking to start your own wiki, check out these wiki hosts:
Good luck!
~Your not-so-techie teacher
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