For many of us who went through the '80s, "wiki wiki" was the sound of a DJ scratching a record. Today, the term wiki has a much different meaning. Basically, it is a web page that any Internet user can edit; people using a wiki can read and write at the same time, simplifying the web editing process.
Wikis are open access (if you can see it, you can edit it). They also entail tech-mediated responsibility (everyone can see what you did). Not only can everyone see the end product, they can also see the process. Thus, edits can be tracked so that you can easily see who made what changes. In addition, you can go back to a previous version of the wiki if needed. (Note: Most wikis have a security option whereby you can allow only certain people to view/edit pages. So if you only wanted one particular class or group to have access, you can do so.) Perhaps the most famous wiki is Wikipedia, an open content encyclopedia.
The term itself is short for "wiki wiki, "meaning quickly or rapidly in the Hawaiian language. It was named by Ward Cunningham, an American computer programmer, back in 1994. (Yes, wikis have been around for that long!) Upon a visit to Honolulu he was directed to take the "Wiki Wiki"shuttle bus that ran between airport terminals. He liked the word so much he chose to name his new application wiki-wiki as an alliterative substitute for 'quick' "because it was more fun to say than quick- web" (Cunningham, 2003).
Trek 1: Watch this brief video to learn more about wikis:
Trek 2: Read the article The Power of Wikis in Higher Ed and visit some of these innovative uses of wikis in higher education:
- Case Wiki
- MSU Libraries Wiki
- RomanticAudienceProject
- Wiki Usage at the University of Delaware
Trek 3: Learn how to create your own wiki via PBwiki (it's as "simple as making a peanut butter sandwich!")
Trek 4: Play around with a wiki:
- Create a PBwiki account by using your murraystate.edu email address.
- Save your pbwiki url address, username, and password in that Word doc. table!
- Verify it by accepting the email invite that was sent to your email Inbox.
- Go to the Internet: NEXT Generation wiki
- Click the Join this wiki link, found towards the right-hand side of the page.
- Follow the directions found on the main page to add an entry, create a link, embed a movie, or add an image.
Trek 5: Write a Comment on this week's Post. Some possible discussion ideas:
- What are your thoughts on the higher education wiki examples listed in Trek 2?
- Do you have any ideas on how you might incorporate wikis for your job?
- If you already belong to a wiki, or have a favorite, share its url.
Works Cited
Briggs, L. (2008, August 20). The power of wikis in higher ed. Retrieved November 15, 2008 from http://campustechnology.com/articles/66505/
Cunningham, W. (2003, November). Correspondence on the etymology of wiki. Retrieved November 11, 2008 from http://c2.com/doc/etymology.html
The voyage continues February 23rd with "So Easy a Klingon Can Do It: Social Bookmarking."
7 comments:
From Stephanie Rea via email:
Thanks for all you are doing! This has been fun so far. I’ve aready gone on pbwiki after seeing it at the bottom of the blog page. VERY interesting. I can really see myself teaching something online. Never felt that way before.
I can se wikis being a useful tool in class, especially for students who have to work on groups to get a project finished together through collaboration. Very interesting. Thanks!
This is a lot of fun and I believe can be used in all of my classes. I just have to find the time keep it updated.
Wikis are wonderful! I didn't realize how useful they can be and wish I knew about them while I was an undergrad student. However, I have found a use for them in the office as a co-worker and I plan an office event. It will help us collaborate on the plans without having to e-mail back and forth. The camping video, other examples, and the articles provided some useful tips. Thanks, Lilia!!
I did not create a Wiki because I did not know how I would delete it after I created it. I do not want to get too many things online that I would not be able to keep updated. I can see many uses if I were teaching [primarily small group work] and there are probably many uses in my current assignment remaining yet to be discovered. Participating in Internet: the NEXT Generation has been and is a great experience. Thank you Lilia! Now I need to get my blog operating and in much better shape.
I love the idea of using wikis to teach writing or to increase student engagement with texts. I'll play around with setting two up for next fall's classes. I'm wondering, however, if it will be confusing to students to work with both a class wiki and Blackboard. Any thoughts?
I have the same question that Yancey does about deleting wikis. I found out the hard way (with the comment function on the Internet: the NEXt generation wiki) that small goofs can be more-or-less permanent.
Hi Yancey and Curious Reader!
No need to fear the permanence of wikis. To delete a comment, all you need to do is hit the "Delete" link found beneath your name for that specific comment. To delete an entire wiki, just click on the Settings link found towards the upper-right hand corner on the main page wiki. Then, towards the left-hand side-bar underneath "Advanced Settings" click on Delete!
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