Wikis

= Wikis = Jennifer Becker

**Description and Uses of Technology**
What is a "Wiki"? Duffy and Bruns answer the question: "A wiki is a group of web pages that allows users to add content, similar to a discussion forum or blog, but also permits others (sometimes completely unrestictedly) to edit the content" (34). Will Richardson, a former English teacher and author of the book //Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms,// writes that, "...plainly put, a Wiki, is a website where anyone can edit anything anytime they want" (55). Similarly, Wikipedia defines a wiki as "a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages (2011). This ease with which editing can be accomplished is one particularly attractive part of the use of Wikis within the educational world. In addition, anyone who adheres to the idea that learning is accomplished via a social construction, often see wikis with an eye for collaboration. "Wikis can be surprisingly robust, open ended, collaborative group sites" (Educause Learning Initiative). "Wikis represent the shift of information technology tools ...to current web-based tools that support social collaboration" (Skiba, 120). Wikis allow for intellectual collaboration and learning that is not limited by physical proximity. Anyone with access to the web, and an internet browser, can contribute to the conversation.

The use of Wikis is widespread and full of variety. The first thing that comes to the mind of any internet savvy American is "Wikipedia", which is an online encyclopedia full of a wide range of information. If one does not know the answer, it is easy to check Wikipedia to find out what is known on the topic. Because of their ease of use, and their lack of an inherent, predetermined organizational structure, wikis are a "higly flexible knowledge management space...it is useful to conceptualize wikis as spatial structures that are infintely expandable" (Duffy). media type="custom" key="9180638" align="right"

Important Findings on Student Outcomes
Rene Fountain writes "The value that wikis may hold for educational contexts...has not yet been established" (Dossiers technopedagogiques). At the undergraduate and graduate levels, Fountain has conducted some small, preliminary research and found that "the exclusive use of wiki software...to conduct research across digitally-based virtual communities, within which participants did not know each other, complicated student psychosocial relationships." Essentially, because the students did not know one another and did not have the audio or visual cues that occur within relationships, their communication caused problems to the point that "chats were eventually added to address this issue". This evidence is anecdotal in nature but sheds some light on a potential challenge for using wiki's in an online environment.

Brunsell and Horejsi share stories of 2 science tteachers who have successfully used wikis in their classrooms. Reportely, a student involved in a project within the classrooms indicated "We were able to work on the wiki project better because...with the wiki we were able to work equally. No on person was stuck doing all the work" (2010). The collaborative nature of the wikis supports the students' own construction of knowledge (Boulos, 41).

One common shortcoming of wikis per Educause, "is that it [can] represent the collective perspective of the group that uses it - a wiki has a collaboration bias" (2005). Fountain notes "Wikis are authored by communities, not individuals" (p. 8, 2005). Potentially, this group speak can result in either mediocre or bland writing and discourse, avoiding any sort of controversy. In addition, the group collaboration aspect may be inappropriate for students who are struggling to find their own voice (Fountain, p. 26, 2005). The instructor will need to carefully evaluate the purpose for the wiki, as well as the writing on the wiki, to ensure the best quality. In addition, in higher education settings, it may be appopriate to instruct the students about how to handle the controversy before controversy begins.

However, this group editing functionality can also be of benefit. Essentially, because wikis can be edited so quickly and efficiently, "unfit sentences and sections are ruthlessly culled, edited and replaced if they are not considered fit" (Boulos, 2006). Boulos refers to this process as a "socially Darwinian process" (2006). Nelson and Rose remark in 2008, "There is little, if any, discussion of proven implications of Web 2.0 for student learning" (p. 2222). While the technology is widely acknoledge to seemingly support a social constructivist pedagogical approach, much more research needs to be done to document whether, and how, student learning outcomes can be improved or supported with this type of technology. A review of the resources used in this article, specifically Fountain, Boulos, and Skiba, indicate that the use of wikis is used much more widely at the University level.

Emerging Trends and Open Issues
One commonly cited "open issue", which is a euphemism for a reason why teachers are hesitant to use wikis in their classrooms, is the ability for the wiki to be easily edited by anyone. This ease of editing is a hallmark of the use of wikis. However, many teachers do not want their students to use Wikipedia, for example, because anyone could edit it, which means, in the minds of those objecting, that the information on Wikipedia is not accurate. However, as Boulos writes, in a comparison between Wikipedia and the online version onf Encyclopedia Brittanica, "the quality of articles in Wikipedia approached that of the Encyclopedia Brinnaica" (2006). Richardson reports that Zsteve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, "has called Wikipedia one of the most accurate encyclopedias in the world" (2009). Student privacy is an additional area of open concern. It is possible to use software that requires user registration and a unique password in order to access editing capabilities of the wiki. These wiki "documents" last in to perpetutiy. Students must be taught about appropriate ways of communicating. In addition, there is concern about how future employers might use the work presented in a wiki when evaluating a potential employee (Fountain, p. 26, 2005), espcially if authorship is documented. Another open issue, which would require a thoughtful approach from educators, is the lack of specific authorship typically inherent with wikis. Without specific authorship, the assessment of individual student learning will be difficult, if not impossible. While wikis may document the learning of the group, the evolution of the thought process and knowledge of the authors of group, the individual learning is not evident, unless authorship is clearly detailed.

Conclusion
Wikis are a tool to be included in the astute educators' toolbox. Wikis allow for easy collaboration and a non-linear organizational approach. In addition, due to the easy of editing, there is no huge time investment in learning to edit a wiki. And, they are an ideal approach for allowing teams, who are separated by time and/or distance, to work together collaboratively. However, educators must consider the purpose for the wiki, and specifically decide whether the assessment can be accomplished through the use of the wiki. Is the wiki the best approach for the given project or assignment? And, is the assessment of individuals involved in the wiki required, and if so, how will it be accomplished. Lastly, educators must remember that even though the technology is available, it will not necessarily result in higher quality work. Students must still know how to think, problem solve and communicate, albeit in a different venue, in order for wikis to be successfully used in the educational arena.

References
Boulos, M. M. (2006, August 15). // Wikis, blogs, and podcasts: A new generation of Web based tools for virtual collaborative clinical practice and education. // Retrieved April 20, 2011, from BMC Medical Education: __[]__

Brunsell, E. & Horejsi, M. (2010). Wiki, wiki! // Science Teacher, //77(4), 12. Retrieved from EBSCO// host. //

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Duffy, P. a. (2006). The Use of Blogs, wikis and RSS in education: A conversation of Possibilities. // Proceedings Online Learning and Teaching Conference 200y6 //, (pp. 31-38). Brisbane.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -0.5in; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Educause Learning Initiative. (n.d.). // www.educause.edu/eli. // Retrieved April 20, 2011, from www.educause.edu: www.educause.edu/eli

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -0.5in; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Fountain, R. (n.d.). // Wiki Pedagogy. // Retrieved April 14, 2001, from www.profetic.org: http://www.profetic.org/dossiers/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=110

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -0.5in; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Richardson, W. (2009). // Blogs, Wikis, podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms // (2nd Edition ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, A Sage Company.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -0.5in; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Schwarz, L. C. (2004, April). Educational Wikis: features and selection criteria. // The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5 //. Canada. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -0.5in; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">Skiba, D. J. (n.d.). Do Your Students Wiki. // Nursing Education Perspectives //. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -0.5in; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">// Wiki //. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2011, from www.wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

Reviewed By: (Brett Cassidy, Stan Sparks)