Wikis are by far my favorite assignment. They are the simplest which means easy to use when you’re technologically illiterate. Everything was self explanatory from adding to changing with a click of the edit button. I found I can enter and edit morsels of text along with my group members. My group members can than view and edit anything I wrote. I also enjoyed visiting other class member’s wiki sights for help. I wasn’t able to create a hyperlink and saw another group had used several successfully. I went into their discussion group, asked for help, and within a day I had the answer. I like our little community. On the other hand, I did have one concern about wiki pages. The idea that anyone on any page at anytime can edit the contents with complete anonymity is slightly alarming. What if a person enters a site that you set up for your students and inserts profanity? What’s protecting you from vandals?
I would use wiki pages for any collaborative projects in a classroom. For example, in my science class students pair up to research and write a research paper on a genetic disorder for the heredity unit. Because my students live long distances from each other, it’s hard to find time to pair up and work on the paper. Using wiki pages would allow students to collect information in one place, brainstorm ideas, link useful sites, and edit each other’s materials while never leaving home. As a teacher, I can visit each student’s wiki page to see how much work a group is putting into the project and monitor if both students are putting in the same amount of effort. If students are struggling with ideas, I can offer suggestions and ask probing questions to get them to consider all aspects of the assignment. A research paper is only one of several different applications wiki pages can be used for in a classroom…science fair, student portfolios, teacher/student collaborations, literature circles, and math support groups. Wiki applications are numberless.
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"Because my students live long distances from each other, it’s hard to find time to pair up and work on the paper... As a teacher, I can visit each student’s wiki page to see how much work a group is putting into the project and monitor if both students are putting in the same amount of effort."
Thinking back to my days in elementary, junior high, and high school, I remember that one of the most frustrating assignments was always group work, as often times, other students lived far apart from one another, and inevitably, one or two students always got "stuck" completing the majority of the work. As such, I like that you pointed out that wiki use allows students to work "together," yet do so from seperate locations, on seperate schedules. It's also a great point that you make noting that wiki use allows teachers to monitor how much input is coming from which students, so as to encourage everyone to "do their part" to help earn a fair grade.
I was unaware that anyone from anywhere could edit the page anonymously. I thought a person had to have permission from the site host (Dr. Horvitz in our case) in order to edit? That brings up an interesting point to think about. Maybe you meant commenting on the site. I think comments could be posted by anyone... which could cause a problem. I wonder if it's possible to delete comments on there. I haven't actually tried, but you bring up a very good point to think about.
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