Avoiding Wiki Pitfalls and Three types of Wikis

In week two of EDU 651 at Ashford I have learned of the Pitfalls of Wikis and how they might be avoided. I have also learned of the three primary types of wikis.

A wiki is a collaborative construction of a written piece. It is a “website where anyone can edit anything anytime they want (Richardson, 2009, p. 55). Since everyone has the freedom to add and edit the collaborative piece there is the risk of inaccurate information being posted to the content. Instructors can encourage students to be sure to do their research and verify the validity of authors and accuracy of content. Instructors and students must make an effort to find and know what sources to trust.

Another concern when students use a wiki to explore, learn and contribute is safety. Richardson points out that instructors have an obligation to teach what is acceptable and safe practice on the read/write web and they must provide students with the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe. Safety is responsible, appropriate, common sense etiquette while on the web. Students must not seek out inappropriate sites or publish inappropriate content. Students are reminded to refrain from sharing personal and private information because it might possibly be used in a harmful manner or criminally. Students must not share or publish information that may identify them to potential predators. Instructors must teach what should and should not be published online and they must be ready to discuss what should and should not be published online."

A wiki project provides the tools and the collaborative work space that enable contextual teaching and learning" (West and West, 2009, p.29). The three primary types of wikis are knowledge construction, critical thinking and contextual application. Wiki projects that are for knowledge construction enable organization of factual information and the ability to understand meaning. Knowledge construction wikis can range from a simple document to a more complex encyclopedia type structure. West and West teach us that "Critical Thinking wiki projects promote critical evaluation judgment and making choices based on research and reasoned argument. Learning teams can use the wiki frame to brainstorm, gather research, analyze and solve problems, and create actions plans" (2009, p. 34). Critical thinking wikis might be case studies or debates. The third type of wiki is the Contextual Application wiki project. In this type of wiki students pull together information, concepts, and theories and apply them to new situations or problems. These projects are much more reliant upon group collaboration a, and are generally constructive in nature. This type of wiki might be a process map or team challenge.

References

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcast, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (2nd ed.). United States of America: Corwin Press.

West, J. and West, M. (2009). Using Wikis for Online Collaboration. The Power of the Read-Write Web. Jossey-Bass.