The World of WIKIs

Ever since the onslaught of Wikipedia, which I'm still not too sure about students using for research purposes, I have heard the word Wiki thrown around. I have not, until now, ever had the interest or need to create and/or collaborate on one. I have to say that, as a student, group collaboration is an oftentimes frustrating experience. For example, posting in a forum is fine if you simply have to post your thoughts, opinion, and research findings; however, when you must wait for others to post their thoughts, and hope they post something worth commenting on, this process of collaboration can become an endless series of waiting. I'm hoping this group Wiki will not be the same process.

Having stated my worries, I will say that I am glad to see that anyone can see who has added to the Wiki and the changes they have made. As a student, this aspect is important because it is often one or two students who do all the work on a group project when everyone shares the grade. As a teacher, this aspect also helps one keep track of who is and who isn't taking their learning seriously. One piece of a Webquest I have designed, and will post shortly, is for the students to post their research findings on a group Wiki so that I can see where they are finding their information and that all members are contributing. Since I have designed this activity for Spanish II, I hope to implement the group project across my various classes for an added real life dynamic.

Early in the semester, I came across this video that my professor has recently shared with the group, and I think it is very helpful with explaining the premise of how Wikis work.



The creators of this video have many videos on using all different types of technological resources including navigating the Web, understanding and using Wikipedia, and blogging. Another thing that I, as a foreign language teacher, find wonderful is that these videos can be viewed in multiple languages. This capability could be really helpful for introducing Internet-based projects to ESL students who may not have a strong knowledge of English yet.