Introduction


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===** There are basic understandings that one realizes after working with wikis. First, how wikis works; second, their benefits, and the unique way in which they can be assessed. This page gives tips in all three areas. **===

Benefits of Wikis[[image:clipart-flowers.gif width="60" height="56" align="right" caption="Front poster page" link="http://demacisaac.edu.glogster.com/tldl/"]]

 * How one teacher uses wikis in her professional life, including wikis with students, wikis within her school, and wikis as part of her professional learning network. **

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​** Tom Barrett encourages you to use, download, and revise this slideshow on using wikis. ​**

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** Benefits for Students **
As teachers we all know too well that students eagerly use Wikipedia when starting their research on the computer. As the old adage goes ‘if they are going to be doing it anyways, we might as well teach them the proper and safe way to do it’. Why not use Wikipedia itself as a means to teach students to critically evaluate websites? By getting them to check the hyperlinked references at the end of each page, it not only encourages them to research further, but also allows them to gather information, compare accounts, gain more background information and evaluate the site critically (Davies and Merchant, p. 92). It can also be used to teach students the concepts of community collaboration, and respect for other people’s ideas (Richardson). Most importantly, it can help teach collaboration and negotiation skills and allow students to teach each other and share what they know with a larger audience (Richardson, p. 60). The possibilities for class wikis are almost endless and FUN. Students could create their own virtual textbook. As they progress through the year, small groups could be responsible for updating the wiki on a weekly basis with the topics they’ve been learning and add relevant links, photos or presentations (Hudson). Students could also explore Omnictionary or another book-related wiki and then be challenged to create a wiki for the book they are currently reading in class (Hudson). They could add information about the characters as they develop, or add biographical information about the author. Foreign language teachers could also use wikis as a way to organize vocabulary words by theme or unit of study. That way kids have quick and easy access to an online dictionary customized just for their class. They could also use their wiki to link to places where the language is prevalent (Hudson). Socials classes could also use wikis to follow current events since they allow immediate publication of events as they occur (Davies and Merchant, p. 91).

**Benefits for Teachers**
For teachers, the use of wikis can be very creative, but also very functional. Wikis could easily create a portal for lesson planning and sharing to occur, as demonstrated by sites like wikibooks (Richardson, p. 63). Wikis for teachers could also decrease disruptions of instructional time by posting daily staff notes on a school wiki instead of putting them in daily announcements over the public address system (Nielsen). Another potential benefit of a teacher used wiki could be to make meetings more efficient. All team meetings and planning can be coordinated right on the wiki, giving staff and administration an opportunity to see what is happening in other departments around the school. This wiki could also incorporate discussion boards for conversations to take place outside the meetings (Nielsen). Wikis could also be used to enhance professional development, by putting up any important materials being use in seminars to one wiki site. Again, discussion boards could also be used to elicit feedback and keep the conversations going afterwards (Nielsen).

**Benefits for Libraries**
In the library, wikis can be a useful way to manage knowledge. When starting a new position as teacher-librarian, the transition is far easier when information on the use of the computer system, the department routines, standard operating procedures, or the organization and collection policies is documented and shared. It can be incredibly frustrating when no anecdotal information of best practices is left from the previous librarian. A wiki can be a very efficient way to share this information and knowledge would have been to create a library wiki. This way, any teacher librarian could also add his or her own knowledge to the framework that is already there. As noted in the article “Wikis in the Workplace”, having a wiki to manage knowledge of this type “can help improve efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of information use within the organization” (Kille, 2006). Having a wiki or knowledge management system that is similar could “help libraries remain competitive in an era of constant change by facilitating the rapid transfer of knowledge” (Kille, 2006). Once again, the benefits of creating a collaborative system of sharing information and knowledge cannot be denied.

** Various Free Web-based Wiki tools (also known as wiki farms): **

 * [|Google sites] - While not a traditional wiki site, you can create a (free) wiki using Google sites. While there are a number of templates and lots of functionality, user forums report issues with editing these depending on the web browser you use. Use of Google Chrome web browser is recommended.[|​]
 * [|PBWorks] (formerly PBWiki) - offers free wikis for non-commercial use, as well as various paid options. Free wikis come without the customizable templates or backup by download option of paid wikis, but have 2 GB of space. A paid campus version is available.
 * [|WetPaint] - free and paid service, lots of templates; formerly offered free educational ad-free wikis but cancelled this service as of August 11, 2009. Some of these now have ads, including pop-ups. Many ads are not appropriate in an educational context. If you built a wiki under the free educational option, be sure to check your site before sending students to it.
 * Wikispaces - offers free wikis for K-12 educational use as well as paid options. Includes customizable templates, 2 GB of space, and lots of functionality. Easy to use; many educational wikis are hosted here.

​ Assessment of Wikis
As with other collaborative activities or group projects, the assessment of wikis can be problematic. We have collected a variety of links to rubrics to help (posted below), but three articles provide some interesting insight.

In the article “Investigating Pedagogical Value of Wiki Technology,” Hazari and North (2009) quote a question from a student who is about to participate in a wiki as part of her course work. She asks, “Are the grades for the Wiki assignments based on actually writing a portion of the final document and/or providing references? Or do you measure participation by involvement in the discussion and decision-making too? There are concerns about jeopardizing others' grades if their quotes or references aren't included in the final document.”(p. 189). Of course the problem with assessing decision-making and discussion is that they are not obvious from the usual tracking that is an intrinsic part of how contributions are measured – the history page.

Interestingly enough, researchers are now looking at ways to analyze the edits on the history page to help further determine the validity of information posted (Ekstrand and Riedl, 2009). While teachers don’t need to use their complex algorithms, we do need to ensure we’re marking fairly, relying not only on looking at the wiki history page to see who has the most contributions. Part of the assessment is recognizing that “the Wiki rubric should set clear performance expectations, and include consideration for both the process and product used by team members to develop the final deliverable for the assignment “(Hazari and North, p. 189).

The article [|integrating wikis into the curriculum - Assessing Wiki Activities] makes similar recommendations. Gonzalez-Major and Albright (2008) state that individual grades should be assigned not only based on the quality of the research, writing, and presentation, but also for “ an individual’s support of their peers in encouraging and developing their contributions and for positive participation in any discussions around the development of the content.

How do we as teachers measure these intangible contributions? Gonzalez-Major and Albright provide some suggestions. The teacher should provide students with a rubric that clearly delineates expectations. While the teacher must take into account the number of contributions (edits) made by each student, we also need to look at the individual quality and nature of these contributions. Was the edit just cosmetic? Did the edit add content? Did the content contain errors later corrected by another writer? Did the earliest contributors add all the content, leaving little for later writers to do? Did the writers use the discussion pages so that the teacher can look at the reflection that occurred there? Is there a reflective component included where students can comment on their own contributions and those of their group members?

We as teachers want our students to experience the full pedagogical value of the wiki. We want them to learn and remember what they have learned, actively participate and engage in the assignment, and collaborate effectively and positively with their group (Hazari and North, p. 188). Effective and fair assessment practices can support our pedagogy; poor ones can completely derail it. The next section shares rubrics that educators have found useful in meeting the challenge of assessing wikis.

Rubrics for Assessing Wikis and Wiki Contributions

 * [|Integrating wikis into the curriculum - Wiki Rubrics Samples] - rubrics for wiki editing, authoring, content, assessing authorship by looking at the History page [please note cautions provided above about this method], research, analyzing and evaluating, organizing, and presenting (including the use of web 2.0 tools).
 * [|Wiki Grading Rubric – Flat Classroom 2007] – Vicky Davis’s Flat Classroom Project wiki provides a wealth of information including this three page rubric.
 * Grading Rubric Template - Wikis in Education – If you are a member of WetPaint, you can sign in and edit this rubric.
 * [|Rubric for wiki website/multimedia project] -
 * [|Genetic Disorders Project Wiki Rubric] – designed for an grade 8 science project
 * [|ReadWriteThink][[file:WikiRubric.pdf]]
 * Educational Origami - a wiki with a wealth of material and resources about integrating Information and Communication Technologies into the classroom. Includes Bloom's Digital Taxonomy.[[file:Wiki Editing Rubric.pdf]]

A Selection of Wikis

 * [|Book Buddy Reviews] - 1st and 4th graders combine to create book reviews. Includes their reviews, illustrations, and narrations.
 * [|A Collaboration of Sites and Sounds: Using Wikis to Catalog Protest Songs] - This grade 9-12 English lesson plan from ReadWriteThink includes extensive resources to ensure success.
 * Examples of wikis in education - proives an alphabetical list of (hundreds of) educational wikis hosted on [|Wikispaces].
 * Flat Classroom Project - Wealth of material from Vicky Davis' award-winning project.
 * [|Genetic Disorders] wiki - Middle school science project
 * [|Newlits.org] - NewLits.org is a wiki space created to collaboratively develop a rich range of specialist resources for middle school language arts/literacy educators (typically Grades 5 to 8). These resources focus variously and broadly on new literacies and digital technologies.
 * [|Planet Math]- content is created collaboratively: the main feature is the mathematics encyclopedia with entries written and reviewed by members.
 * [|Social Studies - Wiki.ucalgary.ca] - Extensive wiki with links relating to not only the Alberta social studies curriculum, but also many other social studies topics including general social studies sites, world history, world cultures, global issues, Canada, and prairie history.
 * [|Doug Johnson's wiki] - Provides handouts from all of Doug Johnson's presentations. Classic example of the power of creative commons licensing, as we are free to use his materials under a CC 3.0 licence.