August 7, 2009
Wiki, wiki, wiki…!
Ok, I totally forgot to post this draft on wikis…but better now than never!
Wikis!
The great thing about wikis is that they allow students to combine their ideas in a single text, that everyone is allowed to edit. By using wikis on certain topics it is possible to document the learningt process of a whole group (in contrast to most of the other methods below, that concentrate on individuals). So, everyone will be able to profit from other’s ideas or can correct mistakes. In a way, using a wiki is like having a discussion – with the difference that, in the end there is, hopefullly, a clearly structured and readable product.
I can very well imagine to use wikis in class: if the pupils work over a longer period of time on a certain topic, e.g. while reading a novel it certainly may be useful to have a wiki that expands with the growing knowledge of the students. Here they could collect information on the author, the characters, the single chapters and so on. Ideally, there would be a finished product, in which everyone (including the teacher, if necessary) would have taken part – and everyone can profit from.
The only problem I see in this form of class-supplement is the same as I see in many online forms of learning and teaching: While it may be new and interesting to have a wiki in the first weeks, it will probably become a rather unwelcome task sooner or later. So, if a wiki does not work on a volontarily basis, should teachers ask their students to write something in there as additional homework? And if they do so, how should they control who did how much? It will probaly be best to let the students write their findings of actual homework down in the wiki, which has the nice side effect that the students will probably work more thoroughly if their comrades can read their work, too.
