1. USING WIKIS:
AN EASY WAY
OF
THINKING FORWARD
Feb. 22, 2013 Caitlin Cornell
2. Overview
What Is a Wiki?
Why Use a Wiki?
Wiki Challenges
The Planning Stage
The Technology
Sample 1: Wiki for English 101
Sample 2: Wiki for Intensive English
Questions?
Feb. 22, 2013
3. What is a Wiki?
A wiki is…
A wiki ( /ˈw ɪki/WIK-ee) is a website that allows
the creation and editing of any number of
interlinkedweb pages via a web browser…
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki)
“…a collaborative Web site set up to allow user
editing and adding of content” (Dictionary.com)
No Entry for “wiki” at Merriam Webster’s
Learner’s Dictionary
Feb. 22, 2013
4. Wiki – Why use one?
Wikiv. Traditional Essays
Thewiki platform lends itself to the writing
process (drafting, editing, publishing)
Wiki as Interactive Learning
Student interaction during creation and navigation
Student interaction during editing stages
Student-teacher interaction: feedback about the
wiki work, posted in the wiki itself
Wiki as relevant technological use for young
generations and Multiple Intelligences
Feb. 22, 2013
5. Wiki Challenges
Bad news: you may have to learn an entirely
new platform.
Good news: trial and error does not equal
catastrophe
Better news: your students are likely more
technologically advanced than you, and will
grasp new ideas quickly.
Feb. 22, 2013
6. The Planning Stage
What parts of the course would be best
represented and reinforced with the help of a
wiki?
How will you assess student work?
Formally?
Measures should be different than for traditional
writing assignments (because a wikishould be
more involved)
What structure and routine will you impose on
students?
Feb. 22, 2013
7. The Planning Stage: Structure
Remember, this is new for students, too
They will need:
Models of appropriate work
Clear instructions (both for technological steps and for
development and format of content)
Warnings against plagiarism
Appropriate group work practices (equal participation,
kindness in peer editing, etc.)
Feb. 22, 2013
8. The Planning Stage: Routine
Create a consistent routine
How much time will you devote:
In-class?
As homework?
Time spent depends largely on logistics:
Is the class already held in a lab?
If not, can you reserve a lab? How easy is that?
Is the amount of time in the lab enough?
Do students have the access and time to work with
each other outside of class? Can you monitor that?
Feb. 22, 2013
9. The Planning Stage: Anticipate
Problems
Students typically don’t sabotage each other’s
work, but you can track user changes anyway.
Limit the classroom Internet access (i.e., no
Facebook or personal email).
Mix student characteristics in groups (age,
gender, personality, learning preferences,
ability, etc.)
Time: there’s never enough, so set reasonable
goals.
Always test the technology, and Feb. 22, 2013 backup
have a
plan.
10. The Technology
Fear not.
Remember your goals, especially for the first
attempt; start slow and small.
Trial and error.
Students learn fast.
Even if you test things ahead of time,
something WILL go wrong. It always does.
Feb. 22, 2013
11. Sample 1: Wiki for English 101
Platform: PBWorks (free “limited” version)
Course: English 101
Target area: Critical Analysis of Short Stories
(paragraph responses)
Successes:
Students actually followed the stages of the writing
process with little prompting; wiki creation comes
naturally in phases.
Challenges:
Weak/strong grouping makes for some extra pressure
on the dedicated students if group ethics are not
carefully monitored.
Feb. 22, 2013
24. Assessment
First attempt:
Focus on participation, group ethic, and task
completion, rather than quality of writing.
As long as you have predetermined what role the
wiki will play in your course, a decision like this is
appropriate.
Subsequent attempts:
Once you have mastered the details of the
planning stage and the technological instructions,
you can move toward more focused assessment:
content, organization, creativity, etc.
Feb. 22, 2013
29. Sample 2: Wiki for Intensive
English
Platform: Wikispaces (free K-12 “limited” version)
Course: Intensive English
Level: Beginner
Target area: Vocabulary
Successes:
Student attitude and accomplishments did not match
their initial reaction to learning a new system.
Challenges:
One student would not participate, despite all
encouraging and a patient group (but this student
ended up dropping the course later, so there were
other issues involved).
Feb. 22, 2013
36. Parting Advice
The opportunities for meaningful learning far outweigh the
challenges.
The writing process, once very individual, becomes interactive.
Team competition drives group success, not the grade.
Peers become the audience.
Learning reaches students ofMultiple Intelligences.
Writing platform is new and interesting so engages students
more than traditional methods.
Greater possibilities for authentic materials and contextualization
of tasks.
Becauseyouare the architect, nothing can really go wrong.
Try it, and let the students try it with you. Don’t feel you have
to spend months planning before you bring it into the
classroom.
Feb. 22, 2013
37. Resources
Collection of Wiki resources:
http://new-web-
two.wetpaint.com/page/Wikis+in+the+TEFL+class
room
To compare wiki platforms:
http://www.wikimatrix.org/
Feb. 22, 2013
38. Questions?
If you have questions later, please email:
ccorne2@uic.edu
The presentation is available on Slideshare:
www.
Feb. 22, 2013
Editor's Notes
So, how to incorporate a wiki into your syllabus?Don’t insert thewiki just anywhere; it’s not just using technology for the sake of it, but rather ameliorating an already existing part of the syllabus.Because the technology and the new content can be confusing enough, it’s important to lay out an overall structure (rules) and routine (expected work times and transparent deadlines) early on in the process.
Using a wiki is cool enough, you don’t have to complicate it the first time around You learn tons just by trying it once; take it slow and when you’ve mastered the basics, add more in next semester!It’s likely that your students will master the wiki faster than you (this is a good thing, mostly)