Ever hear of Wikipedia? We all
have...right? If you are under the age of 25, I am willing to bet you
also knew that Wikipedia is the most popular "wiki"page. If you are
over the age of 50, like me, you may not have heard the term "wiki" before and you
might guess that it is the name of a cocktail?
As a new
grad student, I am quickly learning that a wiki is a very popular and useful
tool for collaborative learning. A wiki is a software
platform designed specifically for multiple authors—project team and
stakeholders, business partners, customers, and students working jointly on a
project—to be able to quickly and collaboratively post and edit materials
without the need for expert Web development skills. Wikis allow collaborators
to easily “riff” on ideas and elaborate or refine them (SKMurphy.com). Howard G. "Ward" Cunningham is the American computer programmer
who developed the first wiki in 1994 in order to make the exchange of ideas
between programmers easier in his company (King and Cox, p 122).
It
would seem logical that a wiki can and should be used as a tool for teaching
and learning. Wikis are a component of Web 2.0 technology tools that
provide collaborative features and active learning opportunities in a web-based
environment (Hazari, North, Moreland). The technology makes it easy
to work on a collaborative document, track work in progress, and participant
contributions. Research in this area has concluded that no single
technology by itself (wikis) can impact learning outcomes, but when used
correctly the technology provides for many benefits (Hazari, North,
Morland). Let's explore some of the benefits and also review potential
pitfalls or limitations for the technology.
Pros:
- When
adults are presented with self-directed learning opportunities, there is a
greater chance for them to learn and retain the information. (King and
Cox, p122)
- Students
are able to focus on content because wikis do not require advanced
technical skills.
- Wiki
technology provides for ease of collaboration and sense of community, or
social interaction. Constructionist theorists believe that learning
is a social process and that learning occurs through interactions (King
and Cox, p 124).
- Just
like blogging, wikis give peers a platform for sharing ideas and
experiences, all without geographical barriers.
- Wikis provide
for real-time updates, where once content is saved it is accessible and
available for review by all interested parties.
- Wiki technology
is affordable.
Cons:
- Older students
like myself are not familiar with the technology, and may be hesitant to
try it and/or post thoughts to a public site (privacy). Just like
with blogs, ideas and opinions change over time with new knowledge/experience.
- If the wiki
access is not controlled, unauthorized and/or unwanted changes to content
could occur and there is a possibility of sabotage to the site.
- The most common
concern new wiki contributors express is the fear that they will
"mess up" someone else's work. It is not unusual for
students to insert edits into the wrong place on a wiki page or
accidentally delete material that they wanted to keep (West and West,
p.19). Is there a wiki etiquette guide for users?
For an
additional resource on wiki pros and cons, check this out:
To
conclude, the use of wikis in adult education is a "win" for teachers and students,
alike. Wikis seem to be the ultimate tool for constructive
learning, providing a problem manipulation space, cognitive tools,
learner-centeredness, and social presence through communities of learners,
interactivity, and support, all in one place (Seitzinger, 2006).
References
Hazari,
Sunil; North,
Alexa; Moreland,
Deborah. Journal of Information Systems Education; Investigating
Pedagogical Value of Wiki Technology, West Lafayette Vol. 20, Iss. 2, (Summer
2009): 187-198.
King, K.P. and Cox T.D., (2011). The Professor’s Guide to Taming Technology. Charlotte, NC: INFORMATION AGE PUBLISHING, INC.
Seitzinger,
Joyce, (2006). Learning Solutions e-Magazine; Be
Constructive: Blogs, Podcasts, and Wikis as Constructivist Learning
Tools.
https://www.skmurphy.com/how-does-blogs-and-wikis-help-me-collaborate-with-my-customers/
referenced on September 17, 2019.
West,
J. and West, M. (2009). Using Wikis for online collaboration: The power
of the read-write Web . San Francisco, CA: John Wiley &
Sons.
You made a really good point about collaboration issues that I had not considered. When using a platform where several people can be editing at the same time, how do you avoid collision? I know with another platform - GoogleDocs - it lets you know when someone else is editing and shows you where they are in the document. With the Canvas Wiki, there doesn't seem to be any sort of fail safe. I will say I've completed about 4 or 5 wikis with this program and I have yet to run into an error, mostly because I work on projects at different times than my group mates. :D
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I appreciate that you included some history of wikis as well!
- Anaka
Thanks for the feedback, Anaka! I am happy to hear that in your wiki experiences, thus far, your collaborations have been successful. :-)
ReplyDeleteOur current wiki project is my first and I am still getting the hang of the posting and editing features. Bottom line, I will be happy to get the first wiki project behind me but the collaborative value and the benefits with learning from others are apparent!
I like that you put in that self-directed learning helps adults to retain the information. Personally, I am a hands-on learner researching, creating, and working on a team solidifies the learning for me. This is my first wiki, and I will be writing all my information in a platform such as Goggle Docs before entering into the wiki for added comfort. As an older and dyslexic student I am hesitant to post on public sites but trying to overcome my fears. Another good point is that others do not post in fear of messing up work or accidental deletion.
DeleteI really like your recommendation to work in Google Docs before you hit the "publish" button! I myself use Microsoft Word to do the same thing. :-) I think you hit on a couple of the benefits and limitations of the wiki. I think the more experience we get with this medium, the more confidence we will get. Thanks!
DeleteI like your honesty and funny opening! I had not used wikis before starting this program, but tried to keep an open mind, and as I grew comfortable with the features, I started to see the real benefits for collaboration. I hope that as you grow comfortable with it as well, you'll also enjoy the experience of creating one. I appreciate that you included some history and additional resources about wikis - the chart on the pros and cons really helped to understand more about what difficulties adult learners may face and how to mitigate those when integrating technologies. Thanks for your post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the words of wisdom, sloomis! I am keeping an open mind and in theory I see the benefits. It will be nice to have the first wiki in my rear view mirror, providing for valuable experience and confidence. In my research, this week, I learned that predictive success with the use of technology is dependent upon my attitude, social network, and perceived ability (Theory of Planned Behavior). I have a great attitude, have wonderful student peers to lean on, and know I can do this! :-)
DeleteWow, I didn't realize wikis had been around since 1994! I remember a project I was working on in 2009, where we had hired a research company to work with us on an evaluation. They had created a wiki page and tried to share it with us, but we had no idea what it was or what it was used for. As you can guess, the wiki was not a useful tool for collaboration in that instance because one side of the collaboration was unfamiliar with the technology. I think it could be challenging to effectively utilize wikis for collaborative purposes if the collaborators are not all on the same level of familiarity. In particular, convincing people unfamiliar with wikis that it can replace other things that can be shared, like excel files, or power point, if that is something they are familiar with and already use regularly, will be challenging.
ReplyDeleteYou make great points, alikat217! Collaboration is difficult when there are issues with implementation. Providing the right training, guidance and direction, materials, and time will better allow for wiki collaboration. I am just getting into employee training and development and appreciate the critical thinking that these assignments require. This class will help me create projects and training with adult learning top of mind.
ReplyDelete