1. WIKI TECHNOLOGY IN THE
CLASSROOM:
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN
FLASHY AND RELEVANT
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Ms. Sahar Hamzeh
2011 Haigazian University Language & Technology Workshop

2. Overview
 What is a Wiki?
 Why for the Classroom?
 The Planning Stage
 The Technology
 Caitlin’s wiki for English 101
 Sahar’s wiki for Intensive English
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

3. What is a Wiki?
 Heard of Wikipedia?
 A wiki is…
 A wiki ( /ˈwɪki/ WIK-ee) is a website that allows the
creation and editing of any number of interlinked web
pages via a web browser… (http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Wiki)
 “…a collaborative Web site set up to allow user
editing and adding of content” (Dictionary.com)
 No Entry for “wiki” at Merriam Webster’s Learner’s
Dictionary 
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

4. Why Use a Wiki in the Classroom?
 Wiki v. Traditional Essays
 The wiki platform lends itself to the writing process
 Wiki as Interactive Learning
 Group interaction during creation and navigation
 Peer-to-peer interaction during editing
 Student-teacher interaction: feedback about the wiki
work, posted in the wiki itself
 Wiki as relevant technological use for young
generations
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

5. The Planning Stage
 What parts of the course would be best
represented and reinforced with the help of a wiki?
 How will you assess student work?
 Formally?
 Grading Measures should be different than for
traditional writing assignments (because a wiki should
be more involved)
 What structure and routine will you impose on
students?
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

6. The Planning Stage: Structure & Routine
 Remember, this is new for students, too!
 They will need:
 Models of appropriate work
 Clear instructions (both for technological steps and for
development and format of content)
 Warnings against plagiarism
 Appropriate group-work practices (equal participation, etc)
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

7. The Planning Stage: Structure & Routine
 Create a consistent routine
 How much time will you devote:
 In-class?
 As homework?
 Time spent depends largely on logistics:
 Is the class already held in a lab?
 If not, can you reserve a lab? How easy is that?
 Is the amount of time in the lab enough?
 Do students have the access and time to work with each
other outside of class? Can you monitor that?
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

8. The Planning Stage: Anticipate Problems
 Students typically don’t sabotage each other’s work
 Limit the classroom Internet access (i.e., no Facebook
or personal email)
 Mix student characteristics in groups (age, gender,
personality, ability)
 TIME: there’s never enough, so set reasonable goals
 Always test the technology, and have a backup plan
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

9. The Technology
 Don’t be afraid!
 Remember, the aim is relevant, not flashy
 Start slow and basic
 Trial and error (you can do it better next time)
 Students learn fast
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

10. Caitlin’s Wiki for English 101
 Platform: PBWorks (free “limited” version)
 Course: English 101
 Target area: Short Stories
 Successes:
 Student attitude and accomplishments did not match their
initial reaction to learning a new system
 Problems:
 One student would not participate, despite all encouraging
and a patient group (but this student ended up dropping the
course later, so there were other issues at play)
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

11. Sahar’s Wiki for Intensive English
 Platform: Wikispaces (free K-12 “limited” version)
 Course: Intensive English
 Target area: Vocabulary
 Successes:
 Becausethe students are used to things like Facebook, the
wiki wasn’t difficult to learn. They enjoyed it so much that
they competed with each other to upload as many videos
and PowerPoint presentations as possible!
 Problems:
 The ones who aren’t interested in class, also won’t be
interested in the wiki. This makes group grading difficult
and less desirable.
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

12. Wiki: Bridging the Gap
 Bridging the Gap:
 The writing process, once very individual, becomes
interactive
 Team competition drives group success, not the grade
 Peers become the audience, not the instructor
 Learning reaches students of multiple intelligences
(visual, tactile learners flourish)
 Writing platform is new and interesting so engages
students more than traditional methods
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh

13. Other Resources
 Collection of Wiki resources:
 http://new-web-two.wetpaint.com/page/Wikis+in+the
+TEFL+classroom
 To compare wiki platforms:
 http://www.wikimatrix.org/
Ms. Caitlin Cornell & Mrs. Sahar Hamzeh