Blog 13: Wiki

Blog 13: Wiki

Using technology cannot always be a smooth problem and I can see many possibilities for issues to arise from the use of wikis. In the given scenario, I found four problems that teachers can experience when using wiki with their students. The problems were: one student will end up doing the majority of the work for the group, there can be tension over ownership and credit for who did the work, students can complete the assignment independently because they are afraid of truly collaborating and revising the work of other students and the last problem in the scenario was that sometime students worry more about how the project looks, rather than focusing effort into the content of the material in the project.

I will now prioritize these problems that I identified from the scenario. The greatest problem in my opinion, is that the students worry about how the project looks more than the the quality of the content in the project. The other problems are almost equally as important: students being afraid to edit each others work, one student taking over and doing all the work and students taking credit for another student’s work.

A general solution that could reduce some of the problems with the project would be to have a really good rubric and a good set of directions and job assignments for all students so they know exactly what would be expected of them. Three solutions for the other problems are as follows. For all students to be held accountable for their additions to their project, I would have a rubric for them to follow so they know how they will be graded and the students will also be required to give a peer grade to their group members how they can voice how each member participated. This could also eliminate or reduce the chance of one of the members taking over the project and doing all of the work. For students to focus more on the content, rather than the presentation of the project, the rubric should focus on the quality of content and not place a big emphasis on the physical look of the project.

Some links that can help Jane to use wikis successfully in the classroom are:

·      https://elearningindustry.com/how-to-use-wiki-in-the-classroom This link is titled “How to Use Wiki in the Classroom. The link shares ideas on how to use wiki, tips on how to use it successfully and why teachers should use wiki with their students.

·      http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/how-to-use-wikipedia-for-academics.shtml This link is a pro and con article about the pros and cons of using Wikipedia with students. It can offer Jane basic information about what the wiki world has to offer her and her students.

·      http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/wikiideas1.cfm This link shares different ideas for using wiki. There are links on the website to different content areas, like math, science, social studies, etc., where you can explore more options and ideas for using wiki.

Wiki is a great tool for teachers and students to be able to collaborate online and share ideas in real time. It is excellent for group work so that all members have access to everything the group has simultaneously.