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Internet Integration Research: Wikis

More and more, technology is helping classroom instruction movebeyond teacher-centered instruction and towards a community sense ofinstruction (Ferris & Wilder, 2006). By creating a community of practice,

wikis make collaborative learning even more powerful (Parker & Chao,2007). Teachers who use wikis in the classroom are more likely to practiceconstructivist teaching pedagogy (Duran, Brunvand, Ellsworth, & Sendag,2012) and encourage collaborative learning amongst classmates(Frydenberg, 2008). And this virtual interactivity supported by a course wikiwill allow students to interact with course material in a more familiarmanner (OBrien, Aguinaga, Hines, & Hartshorne, 2011)

Wikis have the ability to change the nature of education, educatorsand students in todays classrooms. The learner-centered style ofcollaborative education established by well-executed course wikis

encourages knowledge building through the community and sharedexperience that is often lost in traditional classroom (Parker & Chao,2007). And because most wikis are very inexpensive, free in many cases,and easy to use, there is little barrier to implementation across multiplegrade levels and curriculum (Duran et al., 2012). Which is why wikis havequickly become such a widely accepted tool for educators at all levels.

Wikis application in an education setting begins as a collaborativeenvironment. A community where students can engage in inquiry-basedlearning and problem solving (OBrien et al., 2011) that is encouraged andmonitored by the instructor. Wikis can also be a place for instructors to

post course materials like syllabi and handouts (Parker and Chao, 2007),multimedia, and group assignments. In turn, students can practice groupauthoring (Frydenberg, 2008) by posting and editing answers to groupassignments. Because both student and instructor have the ability to post,the instructors become a partner in learner instead of the authority inlearning (Frydenberg, 2008).

Whats not to like about a wiki? If you know how to word-processyou know how to start a wiki. I was able to very easily open a wiki, create apage and set it up for collaborative editing. But, this ease of use start updoesnt guarantee that I can create a useful educational page. Thevastness of a wikis use can almost be overwhelming. And while they mayhave the ability to take students and teachers to a higher level of learner,they dont come standard with a roadmap.

A wiki presents an interface for collaboration that is only limited bythe imagination of the users. The fact that a novice can sign up, postinformation, and have a functional learning environment in relativeminutes, is an amazing advancement in instructional technology. Addingdiscussion boards and collaborative assignments and community learning

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is a great thing students and teachers. Complementing traditional teachingmethods with a digital interface for students to use as a guide to learningcourse concepts and material can only enhance the learning experience.

I think that the biggest barriers to implementing the use of wikis ineducation are the users themselves. Wikis are very inexpensive to use,

many are completely free, and accessible to anyone with a computer andinternet access. But the use of technology in education may be viewed bymany as an attempt at replacing traditional classroom practices asopposed to complementing them. Teachers must be willing to educatethemselves on how a wiki could improve their curriculum and how they canappropriately implement one. Students must also be willing to embrace theuse of wikis; encouraging their peers to interact inside the collaborativecommunity appropriately will be key to successful implementation. Theremust be a sea change in the minds of both the students and teachers inorder for wikis, and technology in

More so than many other internet tools, wikis have quickly beenaccepted into the curriculum and culture of educators. More and moreteachers, from kindergarten to college, are adapting their courses tosupport a wiki component. This shift towards accepting technology aslegitimate teaching tools should allow teachers to envision a new role forthemselves; one as an educational guide as opposed educationalauthority. Creating a place for creative and positive collaboration thatextends beyond the traditional classroom and into the virtual classroom.

Citations:

Duran, M., Brunvand, S., Ellsworth, J., & Sendag, S. (2012). Impact of research-based professional development: investigation of inservice teacher learning and

practice in wiki integration.Journal of Research on Technology in

Education, 44(4), 313-334.

Ferris, S., & Wilder, H. (2006). Uses and potentials of wikis in the

classroom.Innovate 2(5).

Frydenberg, M. (2008). Wikis as a tool for collaborative course management.

MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 169-181.

OBrien, C., Aguinaga, N., Hines, R., & Hartshorne, R. (2011). Using

contemporary technology tools to improve the effectiveness of teacher educators

in special education. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 30(3), 33-40.

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Parker, K. R., & Chao, J. T. (2007), Wiki as a teaching tool. Interdisciplinary

Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects, Vol. 3, 57-70.