See+One

See One
I started off my search for wikis that had educational relevance by simply searching "educational wiki" in [|Google]. The second listing was a wiki listing educational wikis. Here is the site.

I viewed the following wikis to get a sense of what others were doing. My choice for the wikis was fairly random. I looked at the names, descriptions, and grade levels if applicable and picked based on any that peaked my interest. This was certainly not scientific. There could be better wikis out there, I would imagine that there are, but this allowed me to see the good and the bad of educational wikis.

1. The Aristotle Experiment 2. Code Blue 3. The Discovery Utopia Project

According to [|Wikipedia], "a **wiki** is a [|website] that uses [|wiki software], allowing the easy creation and editing of any number of [|interlinked] [|Web pages], using a simplified [|markup language] or a [|WYSIWYG] text editor, within the browser." To put the definition in slightly easier language, a wiki is a specially designed website that can be edited by different users. The changes are tracked and can be reverted to previous versions. Another component of wikis is the ability to discuss individual pages. A wiki is a web 2.0 technology based on the ability to write to the Internet as well as reading it.

I really liked the Code Blue and Utopia sites as it was easy to understand the projects that were occurring. The students that were using the wiki were engaged in creating content including the uploading of pictures of their own personal drawings and using the discussion feature of the wiki. One particular discussion that highlights the discussion feature from the Discovery Utopia Project site can be seen [|here]. As you can see from the discussion, there is definitely a thought process occurring that goes beyond what would be expected in the curriculum. The type of discussion could never be tested on an exam, but does test the human mind.

The wiki is a great way to show off student work as well. One page that I thought put a lot of effort into their work was a group called Best Medicals. They had a patient named Shana who is currently in a coma from drugs taken at a party. Click here to see the page. The page was developed by grade 6 students. I am a parent and my little ones are not in school yet, but I would be so excited to see their work online. I can only imagine that it is very rewarding for a child to have their parent look at the work that they have done. I can only think back to my school days and say that I loved having my mom look at my work and share her thoughts of it with me. It was always very encouraging to do better.

Another feature of wikis is the history. The history of the pages can be seen by clicking on the history tab. From the history tab, a list of the changes that were made, by whom and when is available. Depending on the focus of the wiki, this can have different focuses. For example, this is a great way for the teacher of a class wiki to see the development of the site and to see the participation by group members. This is the [|history of the Shana page] from the Best Medicals group on the Code Blue wiki. For more advanced users of a wiki, the history tab can be more of a productivity tool than a tracking / assessment tool that a teacher might use it for. See the [|link to a wiki] that is incorporated into a project management software. The site explains the benefits of the history feature by different individuals involved in the project.

It is very apparent that there are different levels of proficiency in terms of the wikis that are being used in the classroom. This is understandable as wikis are a fairly new technology. With increased practice and patience while trying new things, teachers can be more effective users of wikis. As students have more practice, they will continue to develop their skills and the wiki will be a more useful tool that they become use to using. This will, hopefully, help them to learn the material more, become more engaged in the the curriculum, and learn collaborative skills and processes that can help them in the future.