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Feb 8 2008, 8:49 PM EST (current) just_tonya 445 words added, 2 widgets added
Feb 8 2008, 7:26 PM EST dustpaint

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It is difficult to truly estimate the number of wikis currently used in education settings. The use of wikis, a natural tool for distance education, is increasing in education. Wikis are used to facilitate group study or team projects. Wikis are used in a number of ways.

Here's a short video with some suggestions on using wikis in education:

As posted on YouTube by ramitsethi


Wikis enable instructors to:
  • to post course information such as
    • course syllabus,
    • study resources,
    • external links,
    • project requirements,
    • project planning and management,
    • project information, and
    • frequently asked questions (FAQs)
  • create interactive activities for the students
  • monitor wiki discussions among students to determine problem areas
  • build a collective knowledge base of course materials across school sessions or years

Wikis enable educational institutions (e.g., universities) to:
  • create knowledge repositories
  • build communities of practice by creating a collective repository of information to build expertise in a subject area, which can be refined over time by the community members and other interested individuals

Wikis can be used for:
  • administrative scheduling
  • faculty use (e.g., online profiles of research interests, courses taught, areas of expertise)
  • learning support materials
  • course management
  • current events and activities
  • clubs and organizations
  • student feedback
  • journaling
  • establishing and managing study groups, study buddy identification, and mentor matching
  • student services, such as ride sharing
  • fan sites for teams (e.g., football, baseball)
  • posting job opportunities
  • posting opportunities to participate in research
  • building intranet sites for groups or events
  • posting volunteer opportunities

Examples of student activities that can be facilitated using wikis:
  • class hot lists – building lists of useful web resources
  • FAQs – build a list of frequently asked questions with answers
  • help pages – create pages with helpful advice on topics
  • homework hand-in – post individual assignments for review and discussion
  • build a case library of example designs and solutions
  • puzzles for extra credit
  • extra credit projects
  • student advice page
  • build a glossary
  • exam reviews
  • expert reviews – post student work for general discussion but post a review by an expert
  • student galleries
  • create a restaurant directory with reviews
  • movie reviews
  • team fan pages – post game schedule, profiles of team members, team stats
Some educators are apprehensive about using wikis because of the ads that are often displayed on free wiki sites. Some wiki services offer services for a fee where ads can be removed. However, some wiki hosting services offer ad-free wikis for qualified educators. Wetpaint, the host of this wiki, offers free ad-free wikis for educators. Also, Wikispaces has been offering up to 100,000 ad-free free wikis in 2007.

Here's a short video that describes the benefits of using wikis and collaboration in education:

As posted on YouTube by ramitsethi