I have only used a wiki when I've done course work for my diploma. My first wiki was in the summer of 2008 when I took a course with Sandra Lee at UBC. I used the wiki to collaborate with two other classmates on a project. The next time I used a wiki was this past summer while taking another diploma course - I simply used it to post my assignments. Last year I watched a fellow teacher-librarian teach other TLs how to use a wiki using inquiry based learning. It was fascinating and confusing at the same time!
I tend to avoid wikis as I am not a huge fan of the interface. I prefer using blogs!
I enjoyed reading the introduction to Wikis in Will Richardson's book. I like his attitude towards Wikipedia. I'm torn about how to use Wikipedia in the library and the classroom. We do encourage students to use Wikipedia initially at the outset of their research - to get started - to get their feet wet. But then we ask them to move towards World Book and online databases to corroborate what they have learned. So, I do feel better about encouraging its use.
On page 57, Richardson states: "Wikipedia is the poster child for the colloborative construction of knowledge". This is true - so many of people all over the world are contributing to Wikipedia and the site offers a great world view of knowledge. Wikipedia is an example of collaboration - that we all can contribute in some way. It's open and accepting and certainly couldn't be what it is today without its editors.
Here's an article on the importance of using Wikipedia in the classroom:
Wikipedia in the classroom
The author, Jonathan Obar, states that using Wikipedia can in fact help students with research skills because Wikipedia can be used as a tool for teaching students to be "informed consumers of information - to be information literate". Whenever I use Wikipedia - let's be honest, I use it daily - I notice there are some very good, comprehensive sites that are well researched and presented. However, I also notice that every now and again, there are sites and subjects that just aren't fully developed or are properly researched. For example, when I search the name of my school, Prince of Wales Secondary, I see that the information is not updated and the information is slightly biased. So here is a place I could illustrate to my students where a contrast is found on Wikipedia. That we can't 100% rely on it. However, most of the time, we can find excellent information there. Obar further states:
"Unfortunately, when students are debating which sources to work with, they must traverse a dangerous terrain. No matter where they look, there are mistakes everywhere. There is bias everywhere. There is missing information everywhere. What this means is that no source should be regarded as the source on any given topic. That includes Wikipedia and the Britannica, the popular press, and even the academic literature"
This further supports the need for corroboration. We need to cross reference material. This is why research takes a long time. Students need to really understand this. I suppose this is why we need to design projects and assignments differently. Using the inquiry based learning approach emphasizes the need for research and the importance in designing projects which avoid copying and pasting.
Will Richardson encourages students to contribute what they've learned to Wikipedia. He says it would be great to watch what happens to the entry - to see if it gets modified or spammed. He says it would be a great learning experience (60). I recently revisited having a class wiki for my grade 8s. I felt uncomfortable about asking my students for their email addresses, to invite them to the wiki. I do like the fact that we can add powerpoint presentations and audio/video files. This is excellent for quick reference and upload. Later in the chapter, Richardson suggests using a wiki for a book study. The example he gives shows a group of students in the US who really embraced the class wiki. The students "instinctively invested in the idea that the project was an evolution - that it could be made better" (65). Wow, this is an encouraging point! I may just need to give a class wiki a try!
The author, Jonathan Obar, states that using Wikipedia can in fact help students with research skills because Wikipedia can be used as a tool for teaching students to be "informed consumers of information - to be information literate". Whenever I use Wikipedia - let's be honest, I use it daily - I notice there are some very good, comprehensive sites that are well researched and presented. However, I also notice that every now and again, there are sites and subjects that just aren't fully developed or are properly researched. For example, when I search the name of my school, Prince of Wales Secondary, I see that the information is not updated and the information is slightly biased. So here is a place I could illustrate to my students where a contrast is found on Wikipedia. That we can't 100% rely on it. However, most of the time, we can find excellent information there. Obar further states:
"Unfortunately, when students are debating which sources to work with, they must traverse a dangerous terrain. No matter where they look, there are mistakes everywhere. There is bias everywhere. There is missing information everywhere. What this means is that no source should be regarded as the source on any given topic. That includes Wikipedia and the Britannica, the popular press, and even the academic literature"
This further supports the need for corroboration. We need to cross reference material. This is why research takes a long time. Students need to really understand this. I suppose this is why we need to design projects and assignments differently. Using the inquiry based learning approach emphasizes the need for research and the importance in designing projects which avoid copying and pasting.
Will Richardson encourages students to contribute what they've learned to Wikipedia. He says it would be great to watch what happens to the entry - to see if it gets modified or spammed. He says it would be a great learning experience (60). I recently revisited having a class wiki for my grade 8s. I felt uncomfortable about asking my students for their email addresses, to invite them to the wiki. I do like the fact that we can add powerpoint presentations and audio/video files. This is excellent for quick reference and upload. Later in the chapter, Richardson suggests using a wiki for a book study. The example he gives shows a group of students in the US who really embraced the class wiki. The students "instinctively invested in the idea that the project was an evolution - that it could be made better" (65). Wow, this is an encouraging point! I may just need to give a class wiki a try!
Another great post with tons of good ideas! I think you raised some excellent points about wikipedia and its usefulness. I also think you have an excellent opportunity on your hands! You could lead a group of students to begin contributing to, and updating the Prince of Wales wikipedia entry! This would be a fantastic opportunity to teach about wikis as well as "contribute" back.
ReplyDeleteAs to implementing your own class wiki, no need to worry about student emails! in pbwiki, if you have an educator account, you can simply "bulkcreate" the user accounts to hand out to students, no need for them to have email addresses.
Also, I remember that great presentation last year by Jan about how she uses wikis with her Social Studies students on confederation!