My mind is reeling with the possible applications of wikis in the classroom. This is the ultimate collaborative tool for class projects, and I had never considered it before. The creation of the wiki itself is surprisingly easy. Just a few steps and a whole network of pages appears, all easily navigable and incredibly flexible. As a secondary social studies teacher, I am envisioning how my students will create travel guides, historical bio pages, display cultural developments in several time periods and generally create or co-create artifacts, conceivably on a daily basis.
Of course, there are obstacles to the use of this technology. The wikis must be carefully set up by the administrator (teacher), students will need lots of step by step guidance to successfully participate, and they will require constant monitoring to make sure that the wiki is fulfilling its educational objective. Students will first need an education in the ethics of wiki collaboration and showing respect for each other on the wiki just like in the classroom.
The most exciting aspect of this technology is the way that it encourages collaboration. With mutual respect and the proper guidance from their teacher, students can use this technology to work together, even if they are not in the classroom, to create a very impressive product that they can be proud of and that can be easily assessed by the teacher, the principal, and the parents.
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