Wiki

With the importance that is placed on the collaboration of teaching ideas and resources by educators, the use of digital tools such as wiki allows this collaboration to occur at any time and with groups of people (Ferriter 2009). I believe wiki will be a highly useful tool for me, especially as a new teacher. If I join a school that already has a well functioning wiki, I may be able to gain access to a vast array of information and resources that have been specifically chosen and suggested by colleagues. A collaborative staff wiki will also allow me to include any resources or information that I myself come across and believe that others may find useful. A wiki then, could act like a continual professional development website.

What is really exciting about wiki however, is its potential use in the classroom. Kearsley & Shneiderman (1999) state that ‘students must be engaged in their course work in order for effective learning to occur’. The authors go on to discuss the three (3) primary needs for engagement to occur. That being, ‘Relate, Create, Donate’ (Kearsley & Shneiderman 1999).

The principle of ‘Relate’ talks about the importance of collaboration between students (Kearsley & Shneiderman 1999). Wiki as described by Bill Ferriter (2009 p. 37) ‘is designed for collaboration among groups of users’. Therefore students can collaboratively work together using a wiki to create a class project. As an example, I have created my own wiki titled ‘Our Class Trip Through Cambodia’. Students can work together on the assignment by adding their own pieces of information to the wiki or even by working in smaller teams to contribute to a particular page on the wiki.

It should also be noted that the idea of face-to-face classroom collaboration/teamwork with other students can be quite daunting for some children. The use of wiki encourages students who are normally uncomfortable in classroom group activities to participate more freely via the internet (Wang & Hsua 2008).

The principle of ‘Create’ discusses the idea of making student learning creative and purposeful (Kearsley & Shneiderman 1999). I believe choosing a topic for the Wiki is possibly the most important aspect in getting the children to actually utilise the system. Providing students with options for project topics and allowing them to develop the wiki themselves may give them a sense of ownership and therefore may increase their motivation.

Kearsley & Shneiderman’s (1999) final principle ‘Donate’ talks about the advantage of students feeling that they are making a contribution to someone other than themselves. The idea that a class wiki such as ‘Our Class Trip Through Cambodia’ will have readers other than the teacher who’s marking the grades or the proud parents could be an exciting, even slightly daunting concept for the students. They become aware that their work is being ‘published’ on the world wide web. Other children from other schools may read their page to gather ideas for their own assignments. People who are planning an overseas trip to Cambodia may take a glance at the site as well, the potential visitors are endless.

As a student teacher I am extremely excited at the thought of using wiki in my classroom. I love this idea so much, that I think I will have to be careful not to overuse it and result in my students becoming bored with the concept. The thought that students can become ‘publishers’ of their own work, work that they have created together as a team, ideas and concepts that they have developed themselves is such a moving thought. I simply cannot wait!

Why not have a quick look at my current attempt at a wiki page - http://ourclasstripthroughcambodia.wikispaces.com/

Reference List

Ferriter, B 2009, ‘Learning with blogs and wikis’, Educational Leadership, vol.66, no. 5, pp. 34-38, (online Ebscohost)

Kearsley, G & Shneiderman, B 1999, ‘Engagement Theory: A Framework for technology-based teaching and learning’, CQUniversity e-Courses (EDED20491)

Wang, S & Hsua H 2008, ‘Reflections on using blogs to expand in-class discussion’, TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 81-85, (online Ebscohost)