Group 1 Technologies: Wiki Reflection

A wiki is a web page full of information that is subjected to easy and quick open editing. To clarify, anybody with a web browser and access to the internet can view, add and edit the layout of the pages and the content itself present in the web pages. Please follow the link provided to explore my actual wiki for ICTs and Learning Design, http://wikawikawi.wikispaces.com/ .

As I am an active learner I only required the minimum starting steps to point me in the right direction in creating my wiki. I then just played around with my newly created space to see the various actions I could make and the different pages I could create. Overall I consider wikis to be quite simple to use, even for some primary students who are likely to be digital natives that are just as or even more tech savvy than I am.

Like any digital tool there are both benefits and drawbacks with wikis. Accordingly I have analysed wikis through a PMI which can also be found in Wikawikawi, my wiki.

Plus

• Easy to learn.
• Permits communication and group collaboration.
• Can be accessed from any location provided one has internet access.
• Can show the evolution of thought processes of students due to capability to show each version.
• Enables quick and easy update of content due to its instantaneous nature.
• Provides easy search and browsing options to find content.
• Allows the sharing of knowledge.
• Increases literacy skills.
• Can incorporate sounds, movies and pictures.
• Is flexible and can be used for various applications due to there being no predetermined structure.

Minus

• Defacement can occur through inappropriate language, spam and incorrect or inappropriate content.
• The flexible structure can allow content to become disorganized.
• Requires access to the internet & technology is not always reliable.
• It is not always obvious what has been altered and who has done so.
• Can be viewed by anyone with access to the internet if not protected.
• Students may steal ideas from others.
• Students may have apprehensions of placing their knowledge and opinions to be viewed by just anyone.

Interesting

• The term “wiki” comes from the Hawaiian word for “fast.

Wikis can be used in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning. Wikis can be used in any classroom by students as ePortfolios, to demonstrate their knowledge, to perform group work and collaboration on projects, to brainstorm and to answer problems provided by teaches. Teachers can also use wikis as ePortfolios, a general news page for the classroom, to assemble syllabus, to link to other online resources and as a filing cabinet for images, files, videos and other information. Wikis can be specifically utilised in my learning environments, business education and mathematics in the following ways:

• Students can use the wikis to show their working out to real mathematics and business education problems.
• Over the school year students can create their own glossary for mathematical and business related terms that they learn.
• Teachers can provide a case study or problem each week which students can choose to individually or collectively answer by showing their working out.