Wiki

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Wiki
This is the first wiki that I have created. In the past, I have always heard good things about wikis from other educators, but had always remained skeptical myself. As a librarian, I have always worried about the quality of the content of Wikipedia especially when it can be edited and accessed by anyone. I agree with Richardson’s (2010) findings, “The early consensus among educators seems to be to tell students to use Wikipedia as a starting point for their work, but not as a sole resource” (Richardson, 2010, p, 60). At this point, I am comfortable with my students using Wikipedia to brainstorming and for topic discovery.Although after reading more about wikis, I have started to consider some educational possibilities and also do not feel as strong as I did about not allowing students to use Wikipedia as a resource. I could see using a wiki as a sort of content blog, but with student editing power. Also for our classes, I could see using a wiki to compile information on different topics that are discussed. There seems to be many uses and possibilities when it comes to wikis.The wiki I just created was very easy to navigate and setup. Teachers could easily create a wiki for all students to interact with for their classroom or course. In the libraries where I work, I would prefer to use a wiki that has a login system. I also like the view history tabs on wikis so that you know who posted what. Before I can feel completely comfortable using a wiki in the library, I will need to read more about wikis and experience them for myself.References:Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Posted by Bethany June at 6:33 PM


2 comments:

gpattisoned614 said...
Bethany,I agree that one must feel comfortable with wikis before bringing them into the classroom. I currently do not use wikis in class. I am concerned that others can make inappropriate changes or post inaccurate information to a wiki page. I do like the idea of using a wiki within a log-in system. We have that ability in Moodle in my school district. Are any of your teachers using wikis in the classroom?
October 22, 2010 3:41 PM

Bethany June said...
Gayle,As far as I know, none of the teachers in my district are using wikis in their classrooms.