Following That Long Road to ...

"Whether it be by voice, cell phone, e-mail, i-Pod, blog, wiki, video, website, or another as yet uninvented thing, I will communicate my message via any means that students will hear. I will not be afraid of the medium if it is a highway to my students' psyche. I will not erect roadblocks where I should be building an onramp!" Vicki Davis

All roads lead to somewhere; wikis are a place to bring all these Web 2.0 components together on this roadway. The above quote by Davis uses a highway metaphor to make that connection to bring our students together. How can this 'wiki' tool help our students make these educational connections in a meaningful way? A wiki can be considered as a website and a word document mashed together. Todays students can already relate to working in this technological environment. Students naturally gravitate towards Wikipedia when doing research. Little do they know this predisposition to the world's largest online encyclopedia is a wiki itself? Richardson mentions that educators while using Wikipedia as a starting point, guide students elsewhere for other sources. (Richardson, 2009, p,60). Let's look into this and see what wikis are really capable of providing?

What can Wikis Facilitate?

Some of the main educational wiki providers are Wikispaces, What is a Wiki? (now PBWorks as of April 28, 2009) and Wetpaint all of which consist of similar features. The best known wiki is Wikipedia with a compilation of pages, links, photos, graphs, etc. Some of the features a wiki incorporates other than being editable are:

· Uploading of various files (text, pictures, audio, and video)
· Embedding various media (audio, video, multimedia)
· Contains a discussion forum that allows users to input comments
· Emailing application
· Importing from blogs
· Offers statistics of usage
· Sending of feed pages
· Email notification of changes to any space or page with RSS feeds
· Offers customer service
· Easy to make wiki space backups

How can These Wiki Features be Utilized?

I searched out an article by Dukic about Wikis in school libraries that gives some uses of wikis in a library setting. These concepts include: creating library and information skills tutorials, conducting collaborative educational projects, creating reading lists, writing book reviews, building databases of professional resources and as a communicative device for professional associations. That's a great start for T-L's - OK, let's narrow down the field to the classroom.

When looking for particular uses with students, Dukic also refers to a wiki called LibraryZone. This wiki is dedicated to a junior school in Hong Kong and contains practical research skills as well as projects on 'Exploring Space', 'The Weather Projects', 'All About Dinosaurs' and 'Lucky Ladybugs'.
Within these topics are: pictures, resources, research tools, notes, movies, slideshows, student work, writing activities, quizzes and many links to other sites. Wow, it really was an all encompassing wiki considering all the aspects necessary to conduct research from the beginning stages al the way through to completion.

Surely there must be more out there on the uses of wikis in the classroom. So I continued my search. In Wetzel's blog, 5 Strategies for Using Wikis in the Classroom he suggests a number of practical suggestions of how wikis can work. Some options not previously mentioned are: students can demonstrate knowledge by building upon each other's work eg adding to a timeline; "websites can be added or deleted as better online resources are located"; students are provided with acceptable online resources for their school work; listing a calendar of events and accessing parent permission forms. I like the idea of a wiki filing cabinet - always being accessible. Other examples of wikis can be found at Educational Wikis. Now to put these ideas into practise.

A Real Working Wiki - Wiki in Training - Try it out

With students' familiarity with Wikipedia, let's direct their attention to using this wiki tool with more confidence. Let's begin with a wiki I created called Wiki in Training. Being new to Web 2.0 and wikis, this wiki was designed to teach how to create and participate in a wiki for a first time user. On this wiki, there will be many pages to assist in the development of a newbie in the wiki world. These are: Where to Begin , Helpful Hints , Places to go for Help and to How Can I Use this at School?

I've added some links, video clips, and examples. I was expecting it go a little smoother, as I was frustrated in the lack of online help. The linking aspect is awesome but the organization part needs some work. How can I delete a page? Does anyone know? I found I could not see all my pages to make them make sense together, I couldn't organize the pages in order therefore I'd suggest being more organized in the initial creation. I needed to work out how to link pages together both within the wiki and externally. I've also added a FAQ page to offer assistance with questions that may arise. I even signed up for an educational wiki to avoid the ads but have yet to hear back from them. All pages are open for editing so the collaborative aspect can be adhered to; this allows anyone to assist with the ongoing development of this wiki. With wikis being a work in progress, are they ever finished? In setting up this wiki, I'm planning on using it with my Grade 7 students to introduce them to the possibilities of using wikis. Please feel free to contribute to the collaborative aspect of this wiki. At the school, I'll probably limit who edits to avoid some potential problems so get your edits in early to avoid disappointment.

Let's be Realistic - There are Limitations?

Having experienced some of my own problems in creating a wiki, I thought I'd go to the experts to find some answers. What better place to look but on existing wikis? From the wiki For Teachers New to Wikis the following obstacles are mentioned:
· conflict with traditional assumptions about authorship and intellectual property
· students lack confidence in their writing for public
· editing or posting work can't be 'undone'
· not presentation software, therefore lack of visuals and design options.

If you think that's it, think again. There are more concerns. When you first start, consider putting some expectations in place. This is to inform students of the do's and don'ts, so vandalism doesn't pose a problem.

What about setting up classes? Setting up usernames and passwords for students needs to be tackled I think by the teacher so there is more control and access. Wikispaces allows for the teacher to take are of this aspect.

What about the grading of their contributions? In Teacher Tools that Integrate Technology: Wikis, Lightle discusses assessment. There needs to be clear expectations on grading. What about editing work before being published as there is no spell checker? Students will have to be careful in spelling before they post - ask a peer to proof read before it's sent off would be recommended. Now that we've considered most of the problems, let's direct our attention to the practical application.

Where to Go Down This Wiki Road?

Wikis can be used in almost any classes at any time by anyone. Some ideas have come from TeachersFirst Wiki Ideas For the Classroom. Ideas on how to implement using wikis in the classroom consist of such subject areas as math, science and socials. In Math, students can write about and illustrate places where they actually used math to solve problems. In Science students can create a glossary of scientific terms with illustrations and definitions. In Social Studies, they could work on a collaborative project about from people around the World called 'A Day in the Life of a Japanese Family'. The possibilities so seem endless.

What are the benefits of using this Web 2.0 tool?

One benefit I see in using this medium is that students can learn from each other. We know that during their teen years, they value their peers - period. What could be better than to have them interacting and learning at the same time. By encouraging collaboration with the 'editing' feature will allow students to learn from each other. By adding their sources, validates their efforts and gives them ownership. Wikis may not have glitzy graphics but by linking to YouTube will be a huge advantage for them. With Richardson's suggestion on setting up the class accounts (p.67) and the wiki I've already started, I think I've got a good foundation to start from. I really think that the connections that can be made contributing to a wiki will allow students to learn, develop, take ownership and enjoy working on wikis. With the experience and practical feedback from the students, I look forward to learning through this together with them. Once I get them hooked onto wikis, the direction to travel down the information highway will seem never-ending.

Sources

Dukic, D.. (2007). Wikis in school libraries. International Association of School Librarianship. Selected Papers from the ... Annual Conference,1-9. Retrieved July 24, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1563504181).

Davis, Vicki. (2007, February). Wikis in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/coolcatteacher/wikis-in-the-classroom

Lightle, Kimberly. (2008, August). "Teacher Tools that Integrate Technology: Wikis".Retrieved from http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/middle-school-math-science/2008/08/26/teacher-tools-that-integrate-technology-wikis/

Moxley, Joel. For Teachers New to Wikis. (2009. April). Retrieved from http://writingwiki.org/default.aspx/WritingWiki/For%20Teachers%20New%20to%20Wikis.html

Richardson, Will. (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts. Corwin, CA.

Sethi, Ramit. (2007, March). Pb wiki-What is a Wiki? YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmByB0sIPog

Tangient. (2009). Educational Wikis. Retrieved from http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Classroom+Wikis

TeacersFirst Wiki Ideas For the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/wikiideas1.cfm

Wetzel, David. (2009, June). 5 Strategies for Using Wikis in the Classroom: Engaging Students in Technology Projects that Support Learning. Retrieved from http://teachingtechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/5_strategies_for_using_wikis_in_the_classroom