Wikis - A Collaborative Idea

Helping students learn to work collaboratively is a real-life task. In the real world of work people work together to problem solve, find solutions and communicate with each other. Real-life authentic tasks are key to student learning, but sometimes educators forget to look outside the textbook for ways to engage students in authentic tasks in the classroom.

Using a Wiki provides one method for creating an authentic, real life task.

An easy idea to get your students started using this collaborative tool is to let them self sort into project work groups and set up independent group meeting times using a wiki tool. A wiki page allows students to create, add and edit information themselves, making them responsible for the collaborative learning activities from the very beginning. And since a wiki page is online students can access it to edit the wiki activity from any computer.

We have used wikis very successfully this year with our School of Education students to let them decide what small groups they will work in, when they will meet to collaborate, and what topics they choose to work on.

We have also used a wiki page for Criminal Justice students to create a glossary of important vocabulary words and terms that they will need to know for the final exam. Each week students contributed new words to the page complete with definition. Now in the culminating week of the semester students can actually print out the completed wiki glossary as a study guide for the final exam.

And wikis make a great collaborative tool for faculty and staff planning too. I frequently use a wiki with faculty members to find time to meet, when everyone keeps saying their calendars are full.

Some web-based, free Wiki tools to check out:

• TWiki
• pbwiki
• Wikispaces for Educators
  

Moodle has its own wiki tool.

And once you’re sold on wiki's collaborative power, dive in :

• TiddlyWiki
• MoinMoin Wiki Engine