Wikis in Public Schools

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by Arielle Pandolph

Contents

[edit] The Basics

“ ‘Wiki’ is a composition system; it's a discussion medium; it's a repository; it's a mail system; it's a tool for collaboration. Really, we don't know quite what it is, but it's a fun way of communicating asynchronously across the network.”

– Introduction text of “WikiWikiWeb”, the first wiki created by Ward Cunningham in 1995


[edit] What is a wiki?

A wiki is a type of software that facilitates collaborative and interactive content creation by allowing registered users or the public to the site to add, edit, and change content just as the original creator does. Wiki editing is usually done through an web interface, which allows users to update content without specialized software or coding experience. Visitors to the site could include a select set of people within a specific organization who are invited to the website or virtually anyone on the Internet who happens to stumble upon it. All visitors have the capability to alter the content of the website, although some functions (such as creating or deleting pages) may be reserved for administrators. The editing capabilities wikis offer enables and encourages visitors to become creators and editors alike, which establishes a system for collaborative work and fine-tuning. This results in a product that is checked for accuracy by multiple people and contains the consensus of all contributors’ knowledge and experience. (Boeninger, 2007)


[edit] When did wikis evolve?

Wikipedia - the first widely used wiki
Wikipedia - the first widely used wiki

Like so many technological advancements, wikis began long before knowledge of them began to seep into the general public. Wiki development was not made possible until the introduction of the World Wide Web hypertext protocol in 1991 and web browsers such as Netscape Navigator in 1994 (History of Wikis, n.d.). Ward Cunningham is credited with the creation of the first wiki, which went public in early 1995. He created this software to facilitate communication between software developers as well as experiment with potential uses of the new Web. Cunningham’s creation, which is still functional today at http://c2.com/cgi/wiki, was called “WikiWikiWeb”. The word “wiki” came from the Hawaiian word for “quick” and represents its original purpose of fast and easy collaboration (Bejune, 2007).

WikiWikiWeb was successful and quickly inspired copycat sites, however wikis remained mostly in the realm of programmers until Wikipedia was introduced in 2001 and soon after became a household name. Wikipedia is a free content encyclopedia that encourages all of its users to add to and edit its content, becoming an ever evolving and improving source of information. Although some do criticize the reliability of information on wikis such as Wikipedia, others argue that constant review and editing may make it more accurate and current. Wikis are now widely used in many ways and settings. (Bejune 2007)


[edit] Why use a wiki?

Stewart Mader's blog on wikis
Stewart Mader's blog on wikis

According to Stewart Mader (2008) “Wikis are great because they’re flexible, easy to use, and don’t have a steep learning curve like a lot of technology tools. They have a very wide range of uses in education, business, social groups, etc.” Wikis were created as a tool for collaborative work and quick and easy information sharing without the confusion of streams of emails when working in a group. They are ideal in group project or social situations where multiple people need access to the most current collective information at any time as well as educational settings where an instructor wants students to have access to class information and have the ability to add content of their own.

There are many possible uses of wikis, however, they are not ideal in every situation. Susan Cline, creator of eduwikitutorial, stated in an interview held on April 7, 2008 that wikis generally don’t work as well when there are too many people trying to impose different organization methods and ideas of what the purpose of the wiki is. This can result in disjointed discussion and difficult to follow organization. It is therefore best to use a wiki with a specific purpose in mind and not leave it open to multiple projects or multiple groups.

Cline went on to add that collaboration is becoming more important in business and education settings, and the collaborative nature of wikis makes them ideal in many situations. If this trend continues, collaboration will become expected and the use of tools such as this will become a part of our daily lives.


[edit] How can wikis be used?

Wikis can be used by virtually anyone who has a specific collaborative project or information-sharing need in mind. To date, wikis are mostly used for business, education, or social purposes, however, all uses do not fit within those categories. Here are some ideas of how wikis can be used based on a list provided by wikia.com:

  1. Creating a knowledge base on a specific topic
  2. Writing a FAQ
  3. Brainstorming
  4. Collaborative writing
  5. Learning writing through online collaboration
  6. Product reviews and comparisons
  7. Creating specifications and architecture documents for software or other projects
  8. Developing software features and other inventions
  9. Creating how-tos
  10. Sharing tips and advice
  11. Translating documents together
  12. Sharing tips with gaming communities
  13. Playing games
  14. Discussion of theories
  15. Publishing ideas online
  16. Coordinate and help fill needs of charities, for donations and services or volunteers
  17. Bringing together a community for activism
  18. Communication between and within communities
  19. Fan sites or fan clubs
  20. Developing patterns or best practices
  21. Support groups
  22. Planning and documenting events, maintaining a calendar of local events, or real-time reports on conferences
  23. A meeting place for language communities
  24. Communication between and within communities
  25. Political campaigns
  26. Information and policies about a project
  27. Easy refactoring of communication on forums and mailing lists
  28. Meeting agendas and notes for organizations
  29. Enriching existing text documents by editing them collaboratively and adding multimedia


[edit] Wikis in Education: Elementary Through High Schools

The three general settings wikis are used for are business, education, and social. Wikis have particular potential in the education setting because of the collaborative nature of wikis and the effectiveness of group projects and discussion in learning environments.


[edit] How can schools use wikis?

Librarian helping students with technology (provided by flickr user mwoodard
Librarian helping students with technology (provided by flickr user mwoodard

Schools can use wikis in many ways! Interviews with Stewart Mader and Susan Cline revealed several ways in which wikis can be used in education:

  1. Curriculum Development – Faculty can work collaboratively on a wiki to develop and coordinate lesson plans for different sections of a college level course or different classrooms at the primary or secondary level. This allows students from different sections/classes to study or work together as well as provides an established system for instructors to build off of for the following years’ courses.
  2. Group Assignments – Wikis provide a common area for students working on a group project to organize their project, share idea, links, and information as well as collaboratively write or outline the assignment. If all groups in a class have their own page on a class wiki the teacher can easily assess progress, provide feedback, and pinpoint areas where more instruction may be needed before the final project is turned in. Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson (2007) state in their article on wikis and collaborative writing that wikis can turn a "cooperative" writing assignment into a "broader, deeper, and more interconnected" collaborative writing assignment by providing an opportunity to synthesize ideas.
  3. Syllabus – Wikis provide a useful format for creating and delivering course syllabi to students. Students are able to access and monitor any changes to the syllabus throughout the semester without sending mass emails or re-printing. Participants in the course can also discuss points in the syllabus in the wiki discussion section if clarification is needed or provide tips and links to aid in assignment completion.
  4. Just-In-Time Teaching – Instructors can provide readings to be completed before lecture and encourage/require feedback from students on which points need to be discussed further prior to class. This method allows instructors to use class time more efficiently without dealing with individual emails from each student.
  5. Distance Learning - Wikis can be used in distance learning situations as a basis of information for the course and a place for students to collaborate in lieu of face-to-face contact. Links and information about assignments can be posted and students can complete assignments right on the wiki. This also allows the professor to monitor students progress throughout the course of assignments instead of just at the end.


Wikis can also be in other parts of schools. Matthew Bejune (2007) has identified four classifications of wiki use in libraries: collaboration between libraries, collaboration between library staff, collaboration between library staff and patrons (or students and instructors), and collaboration between patrons (or students and instructors). Judy Hauser (2007) provides four ideas for using wikis in primary and secondary school libraries which can be fit into the previous classifications:

  1. Book Discussions – Wikis can be used to initialize book discussions between students. Media Specialists can suggest one or more books during a time frame and allow students to discuss the book individually or as part of a class assignment. Students could also be chosen to suggest books and lead the discussion. This use of wikis would fall under Bejune’s “collaboration between library staff and patrons” and/or ”collaboration between patrons” categories.
  2. Brainstorming – A wiki could be used within a school library to brainstorm countless things that benefit from dialogue between staff and patrons, such as fundraisers, media wish lists, reading lists, resource lists, and library projects or improvements. This use would also fit into Bejune’s “collaboration between library staff and patrons” and/or “”collaboration between patrons” categories. If the brainstorming was done between library staff and volunteers it could also fit under the “collaboration between library staff” category.
  3. Technology Discussions with other District Media Specialists – Discussions between district media specialists on the educational technology available and troubleshooting can be held on a district wide wiki. In this way media specialists can learn from each other and combine resources in a way that is only possible when connected through a quick and easy system such as a wiki. This wiki use fits under Bejune’s “collaboration between libraries” category.
  4. Writing Lesson Plan – If there are multiple media specialists or instructional staff in a media center, a wiki can be used to collaboratively write lesson plans. In this way, the lessons provided by different staff members will be coordinated and maintain a common theme. This use of wiki falls under Bejune’s “collaboration between library staff” category.


[edit] What restricts the use of wikis in schools?

Nearly all new technologies face restrictions when first gaining awareness. There are several possible reasons why public educational systems have been slow to pick up on wikis, although it is difficult to identify one main cause because it differs from school to school. Stewart Mader cites two possible causes: technological and cultural. Technological restrictions for wikis include not having enough or outdated computers to make meaningful use of the tool. Cultural restrictions include a lack of educator encouragement by administrators to explore new technologies such as this and appropriate support with time, training, and resources. Another restriction faced by some educators is district wide firewalls that prohibit the use of Internet based software such as wikis.


[edit] How do you start and maintain a wiki in a school?

The fist step is to learn more about wikis. Here are some great online resources to learn more about this tool:

The next step to starting your own school-based wiki is to look at some examples of how they are being used by others in education. educationalwiki.wikispaces.com has a great list of educational wikis used in many different ways. Some wikis are used for specific projects, some for individual classrooms, some are school-wide, some aren't even based in a physical school. Unfortunately, none of the wikis found on this page are specific to school libraries.

Once you have an idea as to what you want your wiki to do and how you want to do it, find a wiki software to set it up. There are a number of wiki software sites that offer the basic service for free, although you may have to pay an annual fee if you want an ad-free version or some extra features. Some wiki sites to choose from are:

  • pbwiki - Three levels of service: the basic is free but some advertisements may be added to your page, two levels that require annual fee but include extra features and original URL addresses
  • seedwiki - Free wikis with no advertisements and unlimited pages and users, but features are basic
  • wikidot - Free private wikis (usable only by those invited)
  • wetpaint - Free private or public wikis
  • wikispaces.com - Free wiki hosting k-12 educators, annual fee for others
  • wikia.com - Free wikis with advertisements on the page

If you are intimidated by the technical skills required to set up a wiki, watch Scared of Wikis?

Once you have chosen your wiki site and set up the wiki...tell your desired users about it! An in-service for faculty and a lesson for students on how to use the wiki might help inspire use. A wiki should run itself with little management with an engaged group of users. However, it is best to keep a close eye on the wiki in case of vandalism, especially in the school setting. If your wiki is public it may be necessary to change it to private if this becomes a problem.


HCL Central Library Teen Loft (provided by flickr user Fatalgram's)
HCL Central Library Teen Loft (provided by flickr user Fatalgram's)

[edit] What should you expect from your school wiki?

The expectations for a wiki depends on how it is set up, what its purpose is, and the level of involvement of its users. If a wiki is established with a simple format and a specific purpose, it can become very successful. A difficult to use wiki with an elaborate organization system or an unclear purpose will most likely be abandoned by the users for a more user friendly, although perhaps slower and more clumsy, system. Also, if you are one of the first in your district to establish a wiki for your school, it might take some time before it has enough involvement from its users to become a strong wiki. However, once the wiki is established and the targeted audience is aware of it’s potential and how to use it, the wiki can quickly became a regular part of the library experience in your school. The most important factor in the success of your wiki is users who are excited about participating in this tool. In his chapter “The Wonderful World of Wikis”, Chad Boeninger (2007) writes, “Because a wiki can be edited by a community of users, the strength of a wiki often depends on the involvment of the community.”

Once your wiki is established and has an active group of users, you can expect to become dependent on this quick and easy way to exchange information and collaborate with your community. Another bonus of wikis and other web 2.0 tools is the enthusiasm with which older children and teens react to them. Diane Tuccillo (2007) notes in her article about bringing teens back into the library that giving teens a little control over their experience with interactive tools such as wikis can quickly change their attitude about libraries. Wikis may just change the way we all interact with and experience libraries and education in general.


[edit] References

Bejune, M. (2007). Wikis in libraries. Information Technology & Libraries, 26(3), 26-31.

Boeninger, C. (2007). The wonderful world of wikis: Applications for libraries. In N. Courtney (Ed.), Library 2.0 and beyond: Innovative technologies and tomorrow's users (pp. 25-33). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Hauser, J. (2007). Media specialists can learn web 2.0 tools to make schools more cool. Computers in Libraries, 27(2), 6-8.

History of Wikis. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wikis

Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2007). An information skills workout: wikis and collaborative writing. Teacher Librarian, 34(5), 57-59.

Mader, S. (2008). Interview: the state of wikis in education. Grow Your Own Wiki. Retrieved April 9, 2008 from http://www.ikiw.org/2008/04/10/interview-the-state-of-wikis-in-education/#more-1038

Tuccillo, D. (2007). Standing room only. School Library Journal, 53(3), 46-48.

Uses of a Wiki. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2008, from http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Uses_of_a_wiki http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Uses_of_a_wiki http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Uses_of_a_wiki

WikiWikiWeb. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2008, from http://c2.com/cgi/wiki


[edit] Resources

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