This document discusses using wikis as an academic resource for language learning. It begins by defining wikis and providing examples of popular wiki sites like Wikipedia and Wikispaces. It then outlines how wikis can be used to support teacher-student learning in areas like interactive syllabi, discussions, student portfolios, and as a repository for materials. Specific examples are provided, such as an ESL wiki project exploring New York City vocabulary and grammar. Challenges with wikis include usability, encouraging collaboration over just information sharing, and addressing faculty and student perceptions. Solutions involve improving usability through training and standardization, structuring projects to foster collaboration, and addressing privacy and maintenance issues.

1. Wikis: A Powerful Administrative and
Academic Resource
Joshua Belknap, Director, ESL Lab Director
Cynthia S. Wiseman, Ed.D
BMCC CUNY
TESOL 2012 Philadelphia

2. Wiki
(from www.wikipedia.com )
 Wiki" (/wiki/) is a Hawaiian word for "fast".
 "Wiki" can be expanded as "What I Know Is", but this is a
backronym.
 A wiki is a page or collection of Web pages designed to enable
anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content, using a
simplified markup language.
 Collaborative websites and to power community websites.
 The collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia is one of the best-
known wikis.
 Knowledge Management systems.
 Ward Cunningham, the developer of the first wiki software,
WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as "the simplest online
database that could possibly work".

3. www.wikispaces.com
www.wetpaint.com
 Wikispaces is a wiki hosting service (sometimes called a
wiki farm) based in San Francisco, California. Launched in
March 2005, Wikispaces is owned by Tangient LLC and is
among the largest wiki hosts, competing with PBWiki,
Wetpaint, and Google Sites (formerly JotSpot).
 Wikispaces provides free basic wikis with WYSIWYG
editing to the general public under a Wikispaces subdomain.
Private wikis with advanced features for businesses, non-
profits and educators are available for an annual fee. As of
March 2008, they had more than 920,000 registered
members and hosted more than 390,000 wikis. Wikispaces
has also given away more than 100,000 premium wikis to
K-12 educators.

11. Wikis in Language
Learning
 Wikis to support teacher-student
learning in the classroom
 Student-authored collaborative wikis
 Wikis in a language lab setting

12. learning
 Interactive syllabus
 Discussion
 Student portfolios
 Repository for materials
 Related links (videos, audio, documents, online resources)
 Online resource
ESOL EVO: “Exploring the Big Apple, Byte-by-Byte”
MCC CUNY, ESL 094

15. Collaborative Student Wiki Pages

17. Vocabulary Development & Grammar
 Online access to authentic language
 Vocabulary development
 Decoding vocabulary in context
 Connection to grammar: Explore grammar in-depth
 Parts of speech
 Morphemes (prefixes and suffixes—both those that change the
meaning/part of speech of a word—and those that do not)
 Word Roots

18. Steps to vocabulary development
 Vocabulary
 Learning the vocabulary
 Creating vocabulary study cards in class (as we go)
 Card will include permutations of the word with related links
 e.g. for term constitution, tion would be linked to the noun page
 Other versions of that word will also be included on the card such as:
constitutional (al would be linked to the adjective page)
 Students will then transfer the information on those cards to
wiki pages and LINK relevant prefixes and suffixes to
grammatical category pages.

19. Steps to vocabulary development
 Grammatical steps
 Learning the tests for major grammatical categories
 Learning major suffixes that change a word from one
grammatical category to another.
 Learning roots and prefixes
 Related quizzes and assignments

20. Vocabulary Development - Suffixes

21. BMCC ESL Lab Vocabulary Development

22. ESL Lab Wiki: The Basics
• ESL Lab Wiki Home Page http://bmccesllab.wetpaint.com/
• Hours of Operation
• Links: Other ESL websites, ESL Class Wikis
• Grammar, Writing, Listening and Speaking Exercises and ESL Lab
Software (Grammar 3-D, Easy Writer, etc)
• Writing Exam Preparation Materials (Rubric, Practice Essay
Topics, Strategies, Scored Essays, etc)
• Other ESL Lab Resources (Books, Audio Tapes, Reference
Materials, etc)

23. http://bmccesllab.wetpaint.com/

24. ESL Lab Wiki: Updatable Information
 Lab Announcements
 BMCC Academic Calendar
 ESL Course Sections and Schedule
 Weekly Lab Calendar, Schedule of ESL Class Appointments
Visiting the Lab
 Dev. Skills Departmental Announcements

25. ESL Lab Wiki: Tutoring/Supplemental
Instruction
 Tutor information: meet the tutors
 Description of ESL Lab tutoring services (level specific
tutoring sections, walk-in and conversation groups, etc)
 Schedule of tutoring sections
 Information about intensive immersion tutoring programs in
January and June

26. ESL Lab Wiki: Instructor-Lab Interactivity
 Links to department web page, BMCC website, instructors’
Blackboard and wiki pages
 Instructor-created grammar, writing, reading, vocabulary
activities
 Interactive writing exam preparation activities for ESL
classes visiting the Lab

27. Challenges
 Usability (Ease of Use)
 Importing data forms other than text, e.g., graphics multimedia
 Formatting – standardizing & compatibility, e.g., anchoring in WetPaint
vs. Wikispaces
 Retrieving lost data in collaborative projects
 Standardizing directions and training faculty/students
 Aggregation, not Collaboration
 Students tend to aggregate or collect information rather than collaborate
 Faculty and student perceptions of Wikis
 Usefulness in achieving learning outcomes
 Privacy
 Maintenance

28. Solutions
 Usability (Ease of Use)
 Solving formatting issues by interfacing Wetpaint and Wikispaces pages
 Standardizing directions and training: Including step-by-step how-to page on the ESL
Lab Wiki site
 Use Word for creation, watch notice of others editing and wait, copy and paste final
document into wikipage
 Careful instruction BEFORE independent work begins
 Fostering Collaboration
 Structure and scaffold group projects with increments, specific roles, and
accountability
 Faculty and student perceptions
 Grades, rubrics, peer feedback, and competition
 Privacy options: Public vs. private, locking pages, parameters of content, anonymous
posts
 Maintenance
 Shared, collective faculty and/or student site maintenance
 Regularly scheduled monitoring of Wiki

29. Q & A