Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms: Chapter 4

WIKIS

Well first I'd like to restate what a wiki is. A wiki is a Web site where anyone anywhere can edit whenever they want. A wiki is "a resource, a showcase for best practices, and an articulation tool as well."  The most interesting thought I learned about a wiki is that they are not as harmful and misleading as most think.  My high school teachers and even some of my current college professors have given me warning of the incorrect information wikipedia can hold.  After reading this chapter about Wikis, however, I know have a different mindset about them and all the benefits they can hold. Sure wikis can be created and wrote by anyone, someone isn't the most credible.  But have we ever stopped to think of the fact that maybe wikis are more credible because they are not written by just one person?  They are edited and updated and improved all the time because so many different individuals are a part of it. One reason I want to teach wiki in my classroom is because it is a tool they can use and already using to research material.  I want them to be educated on the facts about wiki and how to properly use and assess one.  Another reason I think using wiki in the classroom is important is because it is becoming a very trusted and cited source by many major news outlets (despite what people think about it).  The most important reason I want to incorporate a wiki or wikis in my future classroom is because it can really help my students become better learners.  Two of the major things a wiki can provide students with is collaboration and negotiation skills.  When working with wikis my students will become accustomed to reviewing, modifying, thinking critically and contributing to the site.  They will learn how to work together and how to operate in a world where the creation of information is becoming more and more of a group effort.  Those are all great skills they will be practicing just with the use of a wiki.  They will also learn how to work as team because they will have to agree on correctness, meaning, relevance and more.  After reading this chapter I have also come to the realization that so many different businesses and corporations are using wikis that it is crucial I educate my students so they are ready for the the future that awaits them.  I want them to be prepared and knowledgeable for the world they will be entering someday.  That is in fact my job, isn't it? ;)