Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Wikis


Who ever thought of this name for a technological innovation?

Thought I'd find out as it made no sense to me why this web based programme would be called a Wiki. Simple answer the software that runs this is called Wiki software. So now I'm over the name. I have also found out that Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia runs on a similar line to a Wiki page.

Having had some experience at using a wiki page in this technology unit I found that everything I wanted to do like import photos, embed videos and transfer information was very easy. It made the process user friendly. My only frustration with it was having to use the edit tag every time I changed something. This slowed me down and I didn't like that.

Working in a group situation was not hampered at all as inviting the people who can edit the page limits unwanted infromation being added or changed. It fact it was fun to see when new information had been posted. The ability to keep track of who has posted and when is useful as it keeps everyone accountable for what they post and as a teacher you are able to track their activity. I can see if there is group work happening you can determine if the contributions are evenly spread. I wonder if you could have trouble with a bully or not well intentioned classmates who have been invited to edit and compromise the use of the page.

Wiki's seem quite secure as far as students using the internet go. I think I would give it a go in the classroom as I can see the benefits in broadening the classroom sphere to include other school class groups and being able to collaborate with them through the wiki page could bring meaningful learning experiences into my classroom.

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