Wikis+SP2012

= Wikis =

**WHAT IS A WIKI?**
A wiki is a website that is used to collaborate easily with others. Users can easily become participants and can add, modify, or delete content by clicking the edit button. Generally, wikis are very versatile and can help students develop collaboration and negotiation skills. Wikis bring the concept of open-source information to the mainstream and divorce understandings of knowledge from established systems of power--collectivity and democratization are philosophically central to wikis.



**HOW TO USE A WIKI?**

 * Wiki Tutorial: []
 * Visit the link below to get ideas on how to use the wiki in an educational setting: http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Articles+and+Resources
 * Great slideshow on how to make a wiki: []

**WHERE CAN I CREATE A WIKI?**

 * Wikispaces
 * [|Zoho Wiki]
 * [|www.wiki-site.com/]
 * wikispot.org /
 * PBwiki.com
 * Sites.Google.com

**BENEFITS**

 * As there are many tutorials, wikis are generally easy to use even for those who have difficulty with web design.
 * Wikis can be a great tool for collaborating and learning with others.
 * As a lot of students use or edit wikis outside of the classroom, it is a tool that they should readily accept for educational purposes.
 * It promotes the practice of sharing ideas, facts, and opinions amongst students. This may make students more comfortable with sharing their ideas in general.
 * Students can easily edit their own information if they make mistakes or want to change something.
 * There's a fair amount of user freedom with content (can also be listed as a negative).
 * There aren't any pop up ads to distract the act of reading for students.
 * The wiki has a page history, this is important to prevent site vandalism. (When you click on the history you can revert back to a previous version of the page in order)

**DRAWBACKS**

 * Depending on the settings, anyone can edit the content of the wiki. This could lead to inaccurate information (think wikipedia), edits someone else strongly disagrees with, or intentional vandalism.
 * If more than one person is editing a wiki at the same time, some changes might not be saved as there is conflicting information being sent.
 * Students may naturally assume that wikis are reliable sources for collecting research material. This is not always the case.
 * As wikis are not usually held to the exact same standards as websites, users may care less about correct spelling and grammar.

**IDEAS FOR WIKI IMPLEMENTATION IN K-12 EDUCATION:**

 * Local historical research. Create a collaborative wiki about a local historical site.
 * Book pages. Create a collaborative wiki that provides several types of literary analysis for one specific text. Include character studies, historical context, author biography, information on setting, and several close readings.
 * Information/Resource/Study pages, students can collaborate on as a team and other classmates can refer to them during the school year.

**EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL CLASSROOM WIKIS:**
> [|"Operation Katrina 2009"]
 * Vicki Davis has created a global network of high school students through the creation of the "Flat Classroom" project.
 * Jason Welker's economics class has created a beautiful multimedia wiki called [|Welker's Wikinomics].
 * Philadelphia students document and reflect upon their experiences with towns affected by Hurricane Katrina

TEACHER RESOURCES FOR WIKIS:
Here are several articles and sites for teachers to both educate themselves on how to use wikis and strategies for implementing wikis in the classroom.
 * Wikis in the Classroom This site highlights the basic functions of a wiki, provides links to wiki resources, and explains the different tools available for wikis.
 * 10 Best Practices for using Wikis in Education This article highlights good practices for teachers when employing wikis in the classroom.
 * The Wiki as Knowledge Repository: Using a Wiki in a Community of Practice to Strengthen K-12 Education This article highlights how wikis can both create classroom community and improve literacy skills.
 * Why Wikis? This article provides a tutorial for creating and using wikis as well as suggestions for different applications that can be used in the classroom.
 * []: This is slightly outdated (it's from 2008), but there's still a bunch of useful information.