Project+2+-+M-Learning+Group+3

=What Is It?= = =
 * Wikis **

= **A wiki is a Web page that can be viewed and modified by anybody with a Web browser and access to the Internet. This means that any visitor to the wiki can change its content if they desire.** =

While the potential for mischief exists, wikis can be surprisingly robust, open-ended, collaborative group sites. Wikis permit asynchronous communication and group collaboration across the Internet. Variously described as a composition system, a discussion medium, a repository, a mail system, and a tool for collaboration, wikis provide users with both author and editor privileges; the overall organization of contributions can be edited as well as the content itself. Wikis are able to incorporate sounds, movies, and pictures; they may prove to be a simple tool to create multimedia presentations and simple digital stories. According to //The Wiki Way//, “‘[O]pen editing’ has some profound and subtle effects on the wiki’s usage. Allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site...encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by nontechnical users.” Because the user interface is familiar-- a web page on a personal computer-- barriers to modify wiki pages are minimal. Plus, the results of the users' actions on the content of the site are instantly visible to other users.



=Who's Doing It?=



The first wikis appeared in the mid-1990s. Scientists and engineers used them to create dynamic knowledge bases. Wiki content—contributed “on the fly” by subject-matter specialists— could be immediately (and widely) viewed and commented on. Adapted as an instructional technology in the past few years, wikis are being used for a wide variety of collaborative activities.

In addition to compiling information, faculty and staff in higher education use wikis as repositories for meeting notes. Agenda items are contributed prior to a meeting; notes added during the meeting are saved in a public archive. The ability to export notes to Microsoft Word makes reporting easy and adds versatility to the meeting wiki. Some institutions are experimenting with wikis as e-portfolios. Artifacts within a wiki-folio are easily shared when the wiki is used as a presentation tool. Educators and students, as well as amateurs and professionals (artists, writers, collectors), have found wikis useful in expanding community involvement and interest in their subjects and activities. One of the most commonly used wikis is Wikipedia—an online, editable encyclopedia that is popular with students. Wikis are also making inroads as rough Web content tools for both faculty and students.

**Why Is It Significant?**



Wikis offer a powerful yet flexible collaborative communication tool for developing content-specific Web sites. Because wikis grow and evolve as a direct result of people adding material to the site, they can address a variety of pedagogical needs—student involvement, group activities, and so on. Since wikis reside on the Internet, students can access and participate from any location, provided they have Internet access.From an instructional technology perspective, wikis allow faculty and students to engage in collaborative activities that might not be possible in classrooms. Their flexibility will encourage broader adoption- both by students and faculty.

**What Are Its Downsides?**



Because users can modify the content of a wiki (add to, edit, delete materials), allowing such manipulation of the site’s information carries some risks. Thus, wikis are often monitored to ensure that inappropriate language, spam, and incorrect or inappropriate content are not allowed. This can be both time-consuming and personnel-intensive. As a result, many wikis require authorization so only group members can modify content.

A wiki is essentially a database created by a group rather than an individual. Structuring the initial content in such a database for easy access can be a challenge—one that faculty might not have encountered before. How one accesses information on the wiki, navigates the site, creates internal and external links to additional information, and so forth needs to be addressed early.

Another shortcoming of a wiki (albeit a minor one) is that it represents the collective perspective of the group that uses it—a wiki has a collaborative bias. Over time, the values, perspectives, and opinions of its users can become embedded in a wiki. Wikis are well suited to reflecting current thoughts but perhaps not as effective in obtaining unbiased perspectives on rapidly evolving topics or issues**.**


 * What Are the Implications for Teaching and Learning? **



Wikis might be the easiest and most effective Web-based collaboration tool in any instructional portfolio. Their inherent simplicity provides students with direct (and immediate) access to a site’s content, which is crucial in group editing or other collaborative project activities. A wiki’s versioning capability can show the evolution of thought processes as students interact with the site and its contents. These collaborative projects help promote “pride of authorship” and ownership in the team’s activities. In addition, wikis are being used as e-portfolios, illustrating their utility as a tool for collection and reflection. Collaboration using a wiki i s not limited to students. Faculty can use wikis to collaborate on projects, whether editing a textbook, preparing a journal article, or assembling a syllabus or reading list. Wikis might also prove to be an ideal vehicle for soliciting ongoing input for research or projects where community input can help inform and direct subsequent investigation.

The possibilities for using wikis as the platform for collaborative projects are limited only by one’s imagination and time. Wiki enabled projects can provide various levels of site access and control to team members, offering a fine-tuning element that enhances the teaching and learning experience.