As we explore different resources to bridge the gap between conventional and virtual learning, lets take a look at wikis. Wiki is defined as a website that allows users to collaboratively edit and structure content. Because of this information sharing, the content of a wiki is ever evolving. The most popular wiki is Wikipedia - an online encyclopedia which appears in almost every internet search result. Wikis have helped to remove the barriers of distance that once existed as it relates to content sharing.
Wikis are becoming more and more popular in regards to content sharing in the classroom when there are a number of collaborators. Wikis are free to create, can be created on any topic or subject matter, and includes a wide variety of posting features (links, videos, images, articles, etc.). Thanks to the internet, information sharing is done in real-time and document versions are recorded, alleviating the lost of important information. In short, wikis are really great at sharing information collaboratively, but not necessary at project management.
It appears as though as the number of collaborators increase, so will the level of website management needed. I currently teach about 120 students at once, so it would probably be nearly impossible for me to efficiently manage a wiki for my kids. Therefore, it may be most useful for my students to share resource tools only (website links/articles where they found information) rather than a working document for management purposes. Can wikis be used in your class? Please leave me a comment, I'd love to hear whether or not wikis can work for you.
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