Wikis
We have all heard and probably used Wikispaces, an online encyclopedia, created by people like you and me, experts and non experts alike who post information on a range of topis. Some reliable, others less so, as has been seen with the biased editing of some electoral candidates. But what exactly is a wiki?
Wiki is Hawaiian for quick, and what that means is people can work together to quickly put together information on a range of topics in the form of a website. No knowledge is needed about codes or HTML or software to create this website, this is part of the power of WEB 2.0.
To find out more about what wikis look like, and how they can be used check out the following sites
VELS wiki
K12Learning
Thinking Machine
Wikis don’t have to be based on school stuff either… I have created a wiki for exploring aromatherapy and essential oils. AromaOils and there are many other uses and subjects wikis can be used for.
Once again the people at Commoncraft have put this into plain English Wikis in Plain English from Teacher tube.
The DEECD site also has a wealth of resources for using wikis HERE
What do you need to make a wiki? There are many place you can go to to create your wiki, these includ Wikispaces, PBwiki and WetPaint. Explore them and others, and find the fit that is comfortable for you.
The value of wikis as an ePortfolio
One of the developing areas for using wikis in the class is for students to develop their ePortfolio – electronic portfolio or digital portfolio. This is an electronic version of the book our middle years students have to showcase their best work. The beauty of having an electronic version is so many other elements of a student’s development can be recorded. Many students have used Powerpoint or Frontpage or Dreamweaver, they work well, but are not easily portable, and rely on files being kept together. An online version allows students to access it from school or home, and share it with people they would like to, including parents and friends. By using a wiki the potential is there for students to add to the same portfolio throughout their school years, which would create an awesome record of a student’s progress. Teachers from year to year in any subject would be able to see what the student has already accomplished. Being online also means it is not restricted to one school, so if a student moves school it can go with them, online, intact and up to date.
You will find more interesting information and examples at Personal Eportfolios.
