How many times have you wondered about where or when a
famous person was born or what team won the Super Bowl in the year 2000? No matter what your question, I am sure at
some point, you have come across one of the first, largest, and most famous
wikis, Wikipedia. This wiki was one of
my first real introductions to what wikis were all about. Of course, many people criticize the use of Wikipedia
and other wikis as a solid research tool.
Still, Wikipedia is an excellent example of what can be done with a
wiki.
A wiki is software that allows users to create, edit, and
link web pages easily. Wikis allow
anyone to create or edit a webpage or an entire website with little or no
knowledge of html which stands for hypertext markup language. However, wikis can be password protected in order
to control who has access to edit.
As a Media Specialist, wikis can be used to promote
ideas. Additionally wikis allow for
project collaboration and can contain text, audio, video, photos, links, and
more. In addition to promoting ideas and
collaboration, I have used wikis in the past to teach copyright and
licensing. I know that other Media
Specialists have utilized wikis to teach about wiki usage and provide reference
materials.
Wikis are free and easy to create on any topic from the
creation of Media Center websites to publicizing book fairs, book clubs,
reading nights or posting reading questions for reading quiz bowl teams. The uses for wikis are obviously far beyond
the Media Center. Parent pages can be
created using wikis which may include frequently asked questions (FAQ) sections
for a variety of activies (both academically and socially) that are taking
place throughout the school. School
leaders can use wikis as a means to provide professional development, collaborate
on a school-based manual or handbook, or to collaboratively plan an event or
conference, or to create a staff intranet.
Also, tags or keywords can be used that will help organize and sort
information in wikis which is a great way to find information on the exact
topic being searched.
Thank you for the information on wikis. I think this blog provided a clear explanation of the purpose for wikis. I believe wikis are an extremely effective best practice tool in schools. My capstone project for my Master's Degree was on the effective use of wikis in the classroom and for professional learning. I led a professional learning community about wikis. Not only did my PLC use the wiki to communicate with each other, but also, they learned how to and followed through with applying the resource in the classroom. The outcome was interesting, most people were "nay sayers" in the beginning, but by the end they appreciated their uses. I think one of the key points you mentioned was "school leaders should use wikis." My school leader at the time was not visible on our school wiki. If she was, I think wiki use would continue to be used today at that school.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, great job! I hope people take the time to see first-hand how useful wikis are.
Kristie,
ReplyDeleteUsing wikis for a reading quiz bowl sounds like a great idea. It serves two purposes; it gets students excited about coming to and using the media center to check out books to read. It also introduces or continues the use of wikis. That suggestion really draw my attention. By introducing Wikipedia as a starting point, you make students understand the value of wikis. Although the information is said not to be reliable, the majority of us have used wikis at some point in our lives, whether it is for research or just quick facts. If administrators used wikis for professional development, this would mandate that staff use them. Hopefully, they can transfer what they have learned about their use to students. Excellent ideas for using wikis!
Kristie,
ReplyDeleteIt is so funny that you mentioned Wikipedia as one of the places people frequently access to get quick information about a topic. I was always told NEVER to trust Wikipedia as a credible resource. Why? I was told that this site allows anyone to post information and append erroneous to accurate information. I did not know if I actually believed those "rumors", but whenever I read a Wikipedia entry, I would have a little voice in my mind asking, "Is all of this true?" After learning more about wikis, I know that it is actually easy to upload or remove a link. However, I do not know how easy it would be to actually post information on an existing wiki.