4. What is a Wiki?
Best known wiki: Wikipedia
Uses open source wiki software
(MediaWiki)
Typical wiki:
Anyone can edit any entry – many
contributors
Log in to make changes
Discussion page for all content
6. Features of Wikis
Easy to update – no HTML needed
Collaborative: can identify who
made what changes
Version control: can restore older
versions and see history of
changes
Discussion feature: can discuss a
page in a discussion area
9. Wikis in the Workplace
Exposure to wiki technology and
content is good for students’ resumes
Used in many offices for team projects:
collaboration on anything from general
project management to specifics like
problem-solving product-design
difficulties
Growing belief in collaboration tools as
effective contributor to innovation and
growth
Remember: Employers value teamwork
– wikis are all about teamwork.
11. Ah, How times
Have Changed
Dec 2005, re the Nature study: “We’re
very pleased with the results and we’re
hoping it will focus people’s attention
on the overall level of our work, which
is pretty good” Jimmy Wales
Jan 2007: “…if you do care to
represent yourself as something, you
have to be able to prove it. This policy
will be coupled with a policy of gentle
(or firm) discouragement for people to
make claims like those that EssJay
made, unless they are willing to back
them up.” Jimmy Wales
12. Wikipedia & Credibility
Wikipedia vs. Encyclopedia
Britannica in Nature, Dec. 2005
Did Wikipedia really win?
BBC article about the Nature
research
C Net news article about
Britannica's response
13. Wikipedia’s Latest
Credentialism Problems
Regular and respected contributor
Essjay turns out to be just a 23
year old with a lot of time on his
hands rather than a credentialed
theologian.
Founder Jimmy Wales defends him
at first but eventually has to let
him go – not for lying to the media
but for lying to the Wikipedia
community.
14. New Definition of Literacy
“This explosion of online content
demands a more complex definition of
what it means to be literate… Now that
anyone with an Internet connection can
publish and disseminate content with
no editorial review process, consumers
of Web content need to be editors as
well as readers…We must teach
students how to actively question and
evaluate published information instead
of passively accepting it as legitimate.”
Will Richardson (www.weblogg-ed.com)
15. Should Students
Cite Wikipedia?
No clear answer: “it depends”
Often a great place to start or get
background (Like most encyclopedias)
Can be useful for
current/emerging technologies or
new research e.g. downgrading of
Pluto to a dwarf planet
Not something that should
regularly appear in bibliographies
(Like most encyclopedias)
16. Using Wikipedia
in the Classroom
Students can contribute to or create or
alter an article
Ask them to find an article in Wikipedia
and then verify it or refute it using
library resources
Use Wikipedia article citations for more
information
Bottom line: Use is situational, tell
students to use it with a critical eye &
try to verify what they find in a more
credible resource
17. Citizendium
Wikipedia written by experts and
authorities.
Created as a result of a dispute
between two Wikipedia founders
Also created because of Wikipedia’s
credentialism problems
Looks physically like Wikipedia
@1,600 articles as of April ’07 (over 1
million on Wikipedia)
Still about collaboration but no
anonymity
More expensive to maintain and grow
than Wikipedia.
18. Citizendium
& our students?
No anonymity, it is a more credible
source
Still an encyclopedia and best for
initial explorations & fact-finding
19. Creating Wikis in the
Classroom
Easy to set up a group project
History – can see/assess who is
participating
Built-in discussion area –
encourages participation
Faculty projects – for e.g. course
mapping, policy documents, etc.
20. Creating Wikis in
the Classroom
Group work repositories – can
view content after course has
finished
Group work presented on a wiki is
easily shared with everyone in the
class
Examples:
King Lear screenwriting project
Study hall
21. Issues to be aware of
Anyone can write to it – be careful
of abuse
Privacy when student work is
online – lock down with password
Need to plan the navigation ahead
of time
22. Roll your own Wiki
Mediawiki
http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Med
iaWiki (need server, same software
as Wikipedia)
PBwiki http://pbwiki.com/
Wetpaint http://www.wetpaint.com/
Wikispaces
http://www.wikispaces.com/
SeedWiki http://www.seedwiki.com/
Zoho Wiki http://wiki.zoho.com
http://wiki.zoho.com
23. More than just Wikis!
Depends on your need…
Google Documents and Spreadsheets
http://docs.google.com/
Zoho Writer/Zoho Sheet
http://www.zoho.com/
For formatted documents
Word/Excel documents
Import documents already created
26. Maybe Blogs are for You?
One way communication
Comments feature to get feedback
Communication not collaboration
tool
Repository of your
communications to your class with
archive/search box
Can add useful links, categorize
your posts
27. Blogs
Free, easy to set up (no HTML
required)
Blogger http://www.blogger.com
Wordpress
http://www.wordpress.com
Edublogs http://edublogs.org/
More
http://supportblogging.com/Bloggin
g+Options+for+Educators