Using Wiki Software as a Teaching Tool

While almost everyone has heard of Wikipedia these days, most people do not know that they can use similar software for their own purposes, whether for business or personal use. The wiki format is convenient for students because they can access the information from anywhere they have Internet access. Group projects can be easily collaborated on without requiring everyone in the group to physically meet together. Scientific papers can be posted on a wiki and then reviewed by peers before publishing in a journal or magazine.

Using wiki software as a teaching tool: How it works

A wiki is simply a collection of information that can be edited by anyone visiting the site. Private wikis can be restricted so that only certain groups of users have the right to edit the articles while the general public can still read the information. This security customization works very well for group projects where you would only want members of the group to be able to make changes to the pages. Most wiki programs can be set up so that some people only have rights to add comments while others can edit the articles.

Using wiki software as a teaching tool: Improves collaboration in the classroom

The main advantage of using wiki software in the classroom is that it encourages collaboration. This makes wikis a natural fit for educational fields that emphasize peer review, such as science or English. Once an article is posted, everyone in the class or peer group can instantly begin to comment on the information. Teachers can also add their comments or criticisms to the wiki, giving the student instant feedback on the quality of their project. They can also be used to link several related projects together. The wiki software makes it easy to place hyperlinks in the text of the articles so the reader can explore the concepts in more detail.

Using wiki software as a teaching tool: Specific projects

Dedicated wikis can also be created for specific lessons or assignments, especially group projects. This allows each member of the group to make their contribution and review the information provided by the rest of the group. With the busy schedules of today's students, wikis give more flexibility by not requiring every group member to be available for a meeting. Each student can add to the project at his or her own pace, then the other members can comment on it or edit the information whenever they are ready. Using wikis as an educational tool can work especially well for online or correspondence courses where it can be logistically impossible for the entire group to meet in one physical location.