Why+Wikis?

What are Wikis?
Wikis are websites that are easily editable by multiple users. The word "wiki" comes from the Hawaiian for "quick", and that's what makes this a feasible technology to integrate into teaching - using wikis is quick, easy, and requires only a web browser and Internet access from the user.

This short video by [|Lee LeFever] provides an excellent overview of the technology behind wikis:

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Why Should We Use Wikis in School?
The two key terms to remember with regard to wikis are **collaboration** and **audience**. Wikis, while certainly not appropriate for every educational situation, provide a very user-friendly method by which to engender collaboration and draw upon the combined strength of a collective group. Wikis can then be shared with an audience, either very focused or broad. As one of our example wikis states:

//In a sense, [|PsychWiki] is owned by the community, with input from anyone with experience and knowledge to share. Some of the pages are more developed than others, but no page is complete. If you feel like you'd like to add something to a particular page, please do so.//

The implications for not only the classroom but also for personal research and professional development are staggering. Wikis, along with other forms of Internet-based communication, make global collaboration and communication not only possible, but feasible for many.

Consider the following features of wikis:


 * Can be used as bare-bones content management systems (CMSs)
 * Free of charge
 * User-friendly
 * Can be text-only or include embedded video, audio, Flash, HTML, and other add-ons
 * Opportunity for students to publish to a global audience & contribute a meaningful product for public consumption
 * Allows teachers and other educators to maintain open networks for the benefit of all - promotes collaboration and virtual learning

TeachingHacks.org has a great article about [|the pedagogy behind, and benefits of, wikis].