Wikis and Pedagogy

Wikis and Pedagogy

What is a wiki?

“A wiki is software that allows users to create, edit, and link web pages easily. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites.” (Wikipedia)

emphasis on collaboration and cooperation
more complex peer working relationships requiring negotiation
greater emphasis on revision process
emphasis on associations and conceptual relationships

Benefits

available anytime and almost anywhere; more time on task
active learning; encourage participation; investment in the course
build community; promote interaction
develop expertise through writing and debate
encounter diverse perspectives
repository for class material/media

Challenges

IT support?
too many choices/features
vandalism
loss of control
process of peer revision
assessment

Pedagogically sound uses

Uses

Instructor uses the wiki as content management systems for class sites; a repository for class information and hub for class activity.
Registered students post and revise/edit their work. Manage student portfolios.
Groups use wiki pages for plan, develop and present projects.
Registered students collaborate to create the structure and content of the wiki site as a class or group project. (E.g., a course text, encyclopedia on course topics)
Students create or revise a wikipedia article on a central course topic.
Faculty collaborate on course development or research.

Examples in education

Cultural Anthropology at KSU - A Wetpaint wiki. Class information repository with student comments. See tips for using Wetpaint wikis in education.

Marx wikipedia assignment - Students in Derek Stanovsky's Marx courses at Appalachian State University create and edit a Wikipedia entry on Marx's Capital

Ethics of IT - Nancy Hancock uses a PBwiki to share course information and as a workspace for group projects. (password required)

Webblogging and Wiki course - This Bemidji State University English course on blog and wiki uses WikkaWiki installed locally and is limited to the instructor and students.

My Darwin and Philosophy wiki allows students to upload and revise essays, with student comments encouraged. My Introduction to Philosophy wiki is a growing class text that is incorporated into the class Blackboard site.

Wikis and Blogs

Blog posts tend to be more personal and reflective; they are static and aimed at more immediate availability.
Wiki entries tend to be less personal, more informational; they are dynamic but aimed at long-term availability.

Blog posts tend to be individual efforts, though there may be opportunities for comment and discussion; build community through shared interests emphasis on generation of a product.
Wiki entries tend to be highly collaborative and cooperative endeavors; build community through shared effort; focus on the revision process.

Blogs are organized chronologically, with an emphasis on external connections. Blogs provide a publication space.
Wikis present a web-like structure, a more spatial layout, with an emphasis on both internal and external connections. Wikis provide a work space.

Blogs lend themselves to more lineal or chronological order and navigation; the starting point is now.
Wikis lend themselves to semantic navigation based on relationships between pages; there is no starting point.

Blogs tend to provide a formatting menu bar; no html or special markup language required; creating new posts is easy.
Wikis also provide a formatting menu bar, but typically use a simple markup language; no html required; page creation, revision and deletion are easy.

Presentation

This is a presentation on blogs and wikis from a recent conference. The wiki material begins on slide 12.

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How can you setup your own wiki?

Many of these free services are easy to set up and typically adequate, though for additional control (over page access or membership levels) you will need to pay for a higher level of service. Wetpaint offers ad-free sites for educators.