3.3 Web 2.0 | Wiki

In a previous post, I reflected on my participation in a wiki. This week, I set up my own wiki through Wikispaces. So far I have just registered and had a look around at the features. It seems fairly simple and the interface is quite intuitive. I like that there are pop ups to provide extra information on how to use a specific feature of the wiki.

The potential uses of wikis within a primary setting are diverse. I think the text book idea is a great example. It suports a Constructivist approach to learning by positioning the students as  information creators and curators.

A wiki could be used to enhance the learning activities that occur within the classroom. This is because of the key features of a wiki and the technology that supports it. Features include:

• Online storage: won’t be rubbed off a whiteboard at the end of a lesson,
• Connectivity: students can access outside of class,
• Interactive: knowledge can be added by the teacher as well as students,
• Collaborative: working together to build something bigger than what one person can achieve on their own 

Based on this, some ideas for wiki use in the classroom are:

• Brainstorming tool (much like the de Bono exercise).
• A class glossary where each member of the class can add new terms as they learn them.
• A place to store student profiles. This would be good at the beginning of the year. Students could each have a page to write a short biography. It would be a good tool to refer to in order to find out more about a student.

This last suggestion has implications for the safe and ethical use of this type of technology. Uploading student details is a delicate matter. It should only occur within a closed system, no one outside of the class should have access. Parents would also need to provide their consent before an activity such as this took place. I have noticed that Wikispaces has a set of permissions which would allow it to be a private space. A teacher would have a high degree of control over how the space is used. I feel that this, along with parental support should create a safe and positive experience within the classroom.   

Below is a SWOT analysis that summarises my findings  about wiki usage in the classroom:

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
Collaborative. Accessible outside of the classroom. Multimodal – can include text, images, videos and sound. Easy to use. Useful tool for organisation and categorisation. Linked information.	Asynchronous form of communication. Only one person can work on a page at one time. Work can be removed. Requires constant monitoring which could be time consuming for teachers. Limited functionality (when compared with blogs and websites)
OPPORTUNITIES	THREATS
Peer-to-peer learning. Students share information with each other; learn from one another. Global citizens. The opportunity to create a wiki with students from around the world. Access to the experts. Students are not limited to the knowledge of one teacher.    Hyperlinking between information. Opportunity to show relationships between content and to deepen student knowledge. Students become content creators.	Authenticity. Student could be logged in as themselves but work is not their own. Unethical behaviour. Copyright infringement, adding inappropriate material, deleting another student’s work. More time spent on refining the look of wiki than on actual content. Information overload. It would be tempting to keep adding information instead of refining and editing. Students don’t engage in the wiki or collaborate effectively.