This document discusses the potential of wikis for education. Wikis allow for collaborative editing of websites by anyone with internet access. They use a simple markup language and versioning allows for quality control by tracking changes to pages. Wikis empower individuals and communities by providing simple digital tools that reduce barriers. Wikipedia in particular is highlighted as it provides free access to the sum of human knowledge through its millions of volunteer-authored articles in over 200 languages.

2. The wiki potential
in education
Florence Nibart Devouard
Wikimedia Foundation
fdevouard@wikimedia.org

3. Stroking the story-telling nature of all of us
wiki (plural wikis)
A collaborative website which can be directly edited by
anyone with access to it.
The simplest online database
Requires a computer and an internet connection
Goal: making exchanges of ideas, easier
Source: Wiktionary
License: GFDL

4. The Read-Write Internet
Creation and modification of wiki pages open to anyone
Large number of hyper links between pages

5. The Read-Write Internet
Use a simple markup language using a webbrowser

6. Quality control feature: versioning
Record the history of a page (previous versions stored)

7. The {{SoFixIt}} culture

8. Bottom-up community control
Controlling changes
Title search of full-text search

9. Wikis are suited for
• Easily create simple websites
• Group authoring (eg, assignment, report)
• Data collection / documentation / archiving
• Project planning
• E-learning platform
• Review of classes and teachers (by students)
Empowering individuals and communities
Simple tools, wikis reduce the digital gap

10. Over 8 000 000 articles,
Over 200 000 000 visitors per month

11. Wikipedia’s radical idea
Imagine a world in which
every single person is
given free access to the
sum of all human
knowledge.

12. Imagine a bookshelf…
Wikipedia,
The free encyclopedia
An online encyclopedia, created in january 2001
available in over 200 languages
Operated by Wikimedia Foundation
Free as in free beer (“gratis”)
Free as in free speech (“libre”)
Written by thousands of volunteers

13. 1st lever: learning from others
Information: from scarcity to abundance
The teacher: from knowledge possessor to learning facilitator

14. 2nd lever: teaching others
Nobody knows
everything
but everyone knows
something
Becoming an active voice
Skills for creation, but also negotiation, consensus building, conflict resolution

15. 3rd lever: nurturing a respectful & critical mind
Neutrality of Point of View
• Readers are from diverse political, religious, cultural
backgrounds
• Content represent all significant views fairly and
without bias
Respect of other people copyrights
Checking and citing sources
Behaving in an open environment

16. 4th lever: reduce, re-use and recycle
Freedom as a bedrock principle
• All content is under a free licence
• Our software is free software
• We use free format
Rights Duties
Use the information without limitation All derivative work is to be kept free
Distribute it in as many copies as desired The source must be mentionned
Modify it, reduce or add to it

17. 4th lever: reduce, re-use and recycle
Open source maximizes progress through cooperation
Free licence prevents restrictions to dissemination

18. 5th lever: preserving linguistic diversity

19. “Everyone loses if one language
is lost because then a nation
and culture lose their memory,
and so does the complex
tapestry from which the world
is woven and which makes the
world an exciting place.”
Vigdis Finnbogadottir
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Languages