wikis

=__**Wikis**__=

1. Definition
A **wiki** is a website, that allows for collaborative writing on the web. Contrary to eg document sharing tools, such as Google docs, it allows the creation of interlinked subpages, called wikipages. Wikis offer simple WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) html editors, so you don't need any programming skills to set up your website. Siemens & Tittenberger call them "chaotic, informal knowledge spaces" (2009, p43). It is a very democratic and open tool. The most famous wiki is wikipedia. And fortuntately, most wikis keep older versions of wikipages, which you can revert to, should somebody overwrite your content.Wikis can be open or private. You can attach other files, such as documents or your powerpoints and embed media, such as images, videos, podcasts...Wikis can be hosted remotely (such as this wiki) or by an institution. They can be integrated into existing Learning Management Systems or be used on their own.

For help on creating your own wiki in Wikispaces and adding content please watch the video below. media type="youtube" key="YxCtALhG-q4" height="315" width="560"

2. Wikis in Higher Education
When considering first year undergraduate students we are all aware that they are constantly involved in online and/or mobile communication. Nearly every student has at least a cellphone. Though these students are constantly communicating using text (1), there communication differs from the writing requirements in higher education. In addition in South Africa we have the problem that many of our students have English as a 2nd or 3rd language (2). Wikis provide an opportunity to:
 * //"the way we work, collaborate and communicate is evolving as boundaries become fluid and globalisation increases" - 2008 Horizon report//**
 * bridge the divide between their enthusiastic social communication and the structural requirements of writing in higher education
 * practice for non first language English speakers
 * practice collaborating in a group
 * engage in multilevel discussions around work being covered

Using a wiki involves careful design to ensure that the impact is appropriate. Below is a video outlining guidelines for using a wiki for collaborative activities in higher education. media type="youtube" key="gRj5ABJ-IPY" height="315" width="560"

3. Examples of products (open source/free or commercial)
www.wikispaces.com : nice easy tool, special features for Higher Education, public and private wikis, uploading of pictures, videos and other media... [|www.pbwiki.com] [|www.mediawiki.com] (powers wikipedia and needs to be hosted by an institution) [|www.wetpaint.com] [|www.curriki.org]

4. Examples of applications for Teaching and Learning
Some of the examples wikis have been used in Higher Education Source: []
 * **Group projects:** || Students work together in one place to research, outline, draft, and edit projects within the wiki ||
 * **Assignments:** || Post homework, course materials, study guides, and more. ||
 * **Resource Collections:** || Organize articles, websites, videos, and other resources for students ||
 * **Peer Review:** || Post questions for student brainstorming, or have students post papers for peer feedback ||
 * **Group FAQ:** || Students and/or teachers post and respond to questions on a given topic ||
 * **Parent Involvement:** || Give parents a chance to be a part of the classroom and stay up to date on classroom news and events ||
 * **Online Newspaper:** || Create a student-published online newspaper ||
 * **Course website**: || To post course notes, syllabus.... ||
 * **Past papers:** || Students work on past papers together ||

5. Wikis in undergraduate mathematics education.
In South Africa 1st year mathematics is a killer course for students with career aspirations in Science, Engineering and Commerce (3). The situation is even more dismal when race and type of schooling is considered (4). Generally students attempt to memorise a 'recipe' for solving a problem. This results in many of them not moving beyond the lower order thinking skills of the revised Bloom's taxonomy (5). Wikis present an opportunity for both educators and students to engage in a more meaningfully way with the typical 1st year mathematics content.

An example of mathematics educators collaborating in a wiki environment is [|Math Wiki]. At the university of Wisconsin [|Martin and Premadasa] discuss their use of wikis to increase discussion and collaboration among the students.

6. Additional Resources (articles, guides, videos, examples...)
http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis : Examples of wikis in Education

Wikis in plain english [] (3 mins video)

7. References
1. [|Lenhart, Arafeh, Smith and MacGill, 2008] 2. 3. Presentation by Kenny Rafeal (May 2011) at Commerce Faculty Educators Group 4. Presentation by jonathan Clarke (April 2011) at Commerce Faculty Educators Group 5. 6. Martin and Premadasa, 2010