Educational Technology : Wikis

In our introduction to EDUC 286, we discussed wikis and their role in education. Most of us are probably only familiar with wikis because of Wikipedia, the encyclopedia that lets readers edit the articles. Even if people participate in wikis, they probably have never thought of using them in class.

In fact, class sessions are basically non-electronic wikis; with the teacher as moderator, students all participate with their own thoughts, ideas, and knowledge. If a class does have a wiki, that site offers the opportunity for students and teachers to help each other even when they're not in school. For example, a student could post a question that they had about the material. Other students or the teacher could respond with the answer or other information that may help them. Wikis would also provide a great way for students to communicate when working on group projects. All too often, the major problem in group projects is finding enough time for all of the students to meet.

Wikis could also pose a problem in classrooms. Without proper moderation, students could post inappropriately or too sporadically. If no one posts on the wiki, then it really isn't helpful to anyone.

Fall semester of last year, one of my classes had a wiki that included a message board. Every week, the students were expected to write two posts on the board, whether commenting on someone's post or creating a post of their own. Though at first I wasn't enthusiastic, I soon found that the wiki was a great way to bounce ideas off of other people and communicate about the ideas that we discussed in class. On the message board, we were able to further discuss topics that we didn't have time to debate in class. That wiki was one of the main reasons that I found the class so helpful!

As an elementary school teacher, I don't know if I would use a wiki with my students. My decision would depend on their age. A first or second grader definitely wouldn't need a wiki for group projects or to discuss their class (unless someone wanted a debate on phonetics). If I were teaching older students, such as fifth or sixth graders, wikis could be a great way for students to post their homework, discuss questions about the class material, or work on group projects.