eToolbox: Mapping Technologies to Learning - Wiki for collaboration
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Contents
Introduction
Guidance for Practitioners
See in action
Your feedback and input
It will take you approximately 3 hours to complete this section. For a shorter introduction, watch this case study video
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What are wikis?
Wiki was invented by Ward Cunningham in 2001 as a tool which would allow all users to add and edit content in websites. This contrasts with traditional websites where the website owner controls the content. It is considered part of the Web 2.0 suite of web products, which distinguish themselves from the traditional web through the role of user-generated content. The website owner is responsible for setting up a framework within which others can contribute content and develop structure.
In a Wiki, users can create articles, edit each other's articles and edit their own articules. They can create links between articles and can leave comments for each other requesting clarification. A lot of what happens in a Wiki can often occur behind the scenes where users debate the correct content to present on the public page. At any point in time, however, an article will have just one public page, cteated through the joint efforts of the many contributors who submitted and edited content.
The most well known Wiki is Wikipedia, a Wiki in which users can create articles about any topic, mimicking an encyclopedia. Popular content is kept up to date as users edit the content to reflect the latest developments in the area. As with all Wikis, the articles in Wikipedia are the result of the collaborative work of many users, most of whom have never met each other. There is little or no central editorial control.
Wikis are used for knowledge management in organisations, with the loose and changeable structure appealing to companies where the capture of knowledge is more important that the immediate structure it fits into. Departments, teams and individuals can contribute to a company's wiki, and then let the content evolve from the activity of other users.
All Wiki articles are archived, so in the case of vandalism of articles, which occasionally happens, the previous content is not lost, and can be rolled back to easily by another user.
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What will I learn on this page?
This page provides guidance to practitioners who wish to learn how to use wikis to facilitate and support learning through collaboration, as per Diana Laurillard’s model. By following this page, reading its content, watching the videos and following the links provided you will be able to:
- Describe and discuss why wikis are useful for supporting learning through collaboration.
- Design appropriate assessments using wikis to support student learning.
- Design appropriate moderation and management for wikis, to support student learning.
- Select an appropriate product to implement a wiki on your course.
- Provide us with details of your experience of using wikis on your course.
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Why should I consider wikis for collaboration?
Activity 1: Watch this video of Richard Buckland from the University of New South Wales. In it, the speaker describes some of the reasons why Wikis can be useful in education, including:
- Interactive website where anyone can change the content
- Has the potential to revolutionise the way we teach
- Encourages students to take and share notes in lectures
- Empowers students
Activity 2: Read the following paper, from Parker and Chao.
Parker, K. and Chao, J. (2007). Wiki as a Teaching Tool. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 3(1), 57-72.
In this paper, the authors argue that Wikis:
- Allow learners to engage in dialogue and share information.
- Actively involve learners in their own construction of knowledge.
- Reduce the technical skills needed for online collaboration.
They identify the following uses for Wikis in education, among others which they cite:
- Writing assignments
- Project based learning
- Online and distance education
- Project planning
- User documentation
Activity 3: The educators technology website identifies the following 10 reasons why wikis can be useful in education.
- Most of the Wiki hosting platforms are free
- Wikis are easy to create and do not require any tech wizardary to run and maintain them
- They have very student-friendly interfaces
- They can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection
- Anyone can edit a wiki
- Wikis are instantaneous so there is no need to wait for a publisher to create a new edition or update information
- Geographical borders are deleted and students from all around the world can collaborate and work on the same document
- The Wiki software keeps track of every edit made and it is a simple process to revert back to a previous version of an article
- Wikis widen access to the power of web publishing to non-technical users
- Wikis are flexible and do not have a predetermined structure meaning they can be used for a wide range of applications
Review these ideas and consider which of these are important to you, as an educator.
Task: Having reviewed all the material above, post a message to our discussion forum in response to the following question:
- Where are you considering the use of wiki for learning by collaboration, and why are you considering it?
Reply to two other postings in this forum.
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How can I use wikis for collaboration?
Activity 1: Read the following article from Ian Robertson in the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
Robertson, I. (2008). Learners' attitudes to wiki technology in problem based, blended learning for vocational teacher education. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 24(4), 425-441.
In this paper, the author describes the design and implementation of a postgraduate module which used a Wiki and incorporated strong elements of group work. A follow-up survey conducted after the completion of the module showed that participants in the module were very supportive of the approach.
Activity 2: Read Ruth Page's discussion on how she used Wikis for group work in a blended learning environment.
Activity 3: Read this paper from Melissa Cole.
Cole, M. (2009). Using Wiki technology to support student engagement: Lessons from the trenches. Computers & Education, Volume 52, Issue 1, January 2009, Pages 141–146
In it, the author reflects on a case where students did not engage with a wiki, and considers the reasons for this non-engagement. Included in her reflections are:
- Technology needs to support a pre-existing educational behaviour rather than trying to import behaviour from other domains.
- "Technology is fun" and "If you build it they will come" are not necessarily true, and certainly not sufficient, to ensure student usage of technology such as Wikis.
She also cites Tonkin's categorisation of Wiki uses in education:
- Single-user. This allows individual students to write and edit their own thoughts and is useful for revision and monitoring changes in understanding overtime.
- Lab book. This enables students to peer review notes kept online by adding, for example, commentary or annotations to existing lecture notes or seminar discussions.
- Collaborative writing. This can be used by a team for joint research such as a group project, essay or presentation.
- Creating a topical knowledge repository for a module cohort. Through collaborative entries students create course content that supplements and extends delivered material.
Task: Having reviewed all the material above, post a message to our discussion forum in response to the following question:
- Is there anything interesting or useful you have learned from these papers?
- What are some things that are difficult to understand?
- How did reading these papers and watching these videos help you think about the design of Wikis for your course?
- Have the comments on your ideas made by other contributors made you rethink the issue?
Reply to two other postings in this forum.
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What products can I use for wikis for collaboration?
Activity 1: PbWorks is one of the most widely used free wiki sites. It is also the tool which is used to create and host the site you are currently reading. Watch the video below which provides you with details on how to set up a wiki using this tool.
Activity 2: WikiSpaces is a popular free wiki site. Watch the video below which provides you with details on how to set up a wiki using this tool.
Activity 3: Wikia is another popular free wiki site. Watch the video below which provides you with details on how to set up a wiki using this tool.
Activity 4: If your institution uses the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), watch the video below to see how to set up a wiki using that tool.
Activity 5: If your institution uses the Moodle Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), watch the video below to see how to set up a wiki using that tool.
Task: Having completed one of Activity 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 above, create a wiki for your course and begin the collaboration. After one week of contributions to the wiki, post a response to the following questions on our discussion forum:
- What has worked well in your wiki, and why?
- What has not worked well in your wiki, and why?
- What would you do differently for the next wiki you will set up, and why?
Reply to two other postings in this forum.
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Give me an example of using wikis for collaboration.
Activity 1: Watch the following case study from Debbi Weaver and Craig McIntosh of Swinburne University of Technology, who describe how they use Wiki for collaboration for both on-site students and distance learning students.
Activity 2: Select one of these case studies or one of the nominees for the Best Use of Wiki in Education which is appropriate for your discipline and level, and review the content of the wiki and the approach to developing the wiki.
Task: Having reviewed the video and case study, post a message to our discussion forum in response to the following questions:
- Is there anything interesting or useful you have learned from these case studies?
- What are some things that are difficult to understand?
- How did these case studies help you think about the design of the wiki for your course?
- Have the comments on your ideas made by other contributors made you rethink the issue?
Reply to two other postings in this forum.
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Tell us about your experience of using wikis for collaboration.
Please use the comment box below to tell us about your experience of using wikis for collaboration. If you have created a resource elsewhere, please provide a link.
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