The diffusion of online tools in education is increasing exponentially. Sener (2010) cites an increase of online class enrollees from 1.6 million in 2002 to 5.6 million in 2009. Moloney and Oakley (2010) predict an annual increase of 20% over the next few years of participants in online education. In order to meet the needs of a changing student population, educators must be aware of the myriad of tools available to enhance learning. This paper presents the use of wikis in education and evaluates the wiki’s effectiveness according to Chickering and Gamson’s Seven Principles of Good Practice (as cited in Hoskins, 2010).
Introduction to Wikis
The wiki is a browser based editing program which allows multiple users to contribute and edit text. It includes editing tools similar to a word processor that allow the user to control text size and color, make the text bold or italicized, and enter web links and pictures. Changes are tracked by the software and successive edits can be monitored or even rolled back to a previous version. The program allows email notification of changes made as chosen by the user in the settings of their account (Cunningham, 2002; Crocker, Hutchings, Nussey, Park, & Springate, 2010).
In education, wikis are useful in that they allow open editing of a document. If one student sees an error, they can simply change the text. Crocker et al. (2010) mention limited knowledge of wikis by graduate students, but point out that interaction on the wiki creates dialogue between students which enhances their learning. The activity on the wiki is useful to educators because it promotes contact and cooperation between students, encourages active learning, and ensures prompt feedback from other users. The col...
... middle of paper ...
...igher education: exploring barriers to successful implementation. Interactive Learning Environments, 18(3), 219-231.
Kardong-Edgren, S., Ha, Y., Hallmark, E., Hurd, D., Oermann, M., Snelson, C., & Tennant, M. (2009).Using a wiki in nursing education and research. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship 6(1), 1-10. Doi: 10.2202/1548-923X.1787
Kleine-Staarman, J., & Pifarre, M. (2011). Wiki-supported collaborative learning in primary education: How a dialogic space is created for thinking together. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 6, 187-205.
Moloney, J. F., & Oakley, B.,II. (2010). Scaling online education: Increasing access to higher education. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14, 55-70.
Sener, J. (2010). Why online education will attain full scale. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14, 3-16.
As Wikipedia has become more and more popular with students, some professors have become increasingly concerned about the online, reader-produced encyclopedia. While plenty of professors have complained about the lack of accuracy or completeness of entries, and some have discouraged or tried to bar students from using it.
...o, Regina F. and Alberto M. Bento. "Using the Web to extend and support classroom learning." College Student Journal 34.4 Dec. 2000: 603-8.
Wheeler, S., Yeomans, P., & Wheeler, D. (2008). The good, the bad and the wiki: Evaluatingstudent-generated content for collaborative learning. British Journal for Educational Technology, 39(6), 987-995.
Lundin, Rebecca W. "Teaching with Wikis: Toward a Networked Pedagogy." Computers and Composition 25.4 (2008): 432-48. Science Direct. Elsevier Inc., 2008. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. .
What most people do not seem to understand is that "Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia, written collaboratively by the people who use it."(add source) There are thousands of people around the world who are either making a new page, rewriting or correcting information, or adding information at any given time during the day.
Wikipedia has been the subject of considerable debate for some time now. Some think the site is not quotable, while others argue that it is. Many teachers do not accept Wikipedia pages as a source of information, because anybody can add information to such pages. However, this policy of everybody being able to add has changed, and the present-day Wikipedia team works hard to prevent inaccuracies on their website. Wikipedia pages nowadays indicate the sources of information. Moreover, Wikipedia pages are checked on inaccuracies. Furthermore, Wikipedia is more up-to-date than any encyclopaedia in book form. Additionally, Wikipedia covers more topics than a regular encyclopaedia. Wikipedia is therefore a useful source of information.
Caruso, C. (2008). Bringing Online Learning to Life. Educational Leadership, 65(8) 70. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Wikis are websites that allow users to have access to create information as well as edit it, thereby making it collaborative editing.
Today, with all of the advances in technology, our society always looks for ways to make life more efficient for people. However, this common ambition of people seemingly does not apply to the scholarly/educational world. It seems that there has been a reoccurring dispute amongst classrooms over the use of Wikipedia as a reference in research papers. Regardless of what most scholars think, the time has come that society accepts this new type of software as a credible resource of information in our educational journey. Wikipedia should be accepted as a valid reference in the scholarly world because of its overall popularity and growth, accuracy, and potential to become the new face of research worldwide.
Several questions may come to mind when trying to grasp exactly what this new online educational concept is all about and th...
Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman, Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States
Cusumano, Michael A. "Are the Costs of ‘Free’ Too High in Online Education?" Viewpoints 56.4 (2013): 26-29. Google Scholar. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.
Wikipedia is a free source of information which is created by the people who use it, unlike traditional encyclopedias which are written and edited by professional experts. It is mainly because of this fact that Wikipedia faces criticism as to the reliability of its information, and as a result, is often not considered a trusted source of information for purposes of reference at higher educational levels. The pros and cons of Wikipedia are many and varied. A few of the strenghths and opportunities of the site include its accessibility, it’s virtual over pysical size, its ability to be revised and edited at no cost to the user, and that it is completely free to access. As it provides an opportunity for communal collaboration, it removes itself from the traditional heirarchial method o...
The traditional education environment is starting to implement new ways to teach students with the rapid development of technology. One strategy is the use of the internet to communicate, listen, and share ideas among students and professors alike; specifically the use of the internet realm in wikis, blogs, and podcasts. Blogs are either a website in itself or a part of a website where something like an interactive journal is being used; a person can write about anything they wish, link or show images, and decide whether other people can comment on the blog entry. Wikis are websites or webpages dedicated to providing information about a topic and can be edited by either the members of that site. Podcasts are digital files in the form of audio, video, or both that can be downloaded online onto computers, MP3 players, certain phones, and many more devices. Wikis, blogs, and podcasts could positively alter the educational format of lectures for students.
People have a lot of options in educating themselves online in today’s time and technology. Online education has improved a lot in the past twenty years. Even though it has had its setbacks, it continues to show promising results. Online education has many benefits with little to no disadvantages. It provides flexibility in scheduling and offers various options in educational online programs. In the past decade, education has evolved into a more technological-driven world.