The Wiki

The Wiki, A Tool For Problem Based Learning

What is a Wiki

The wiki is an inexpensive, multi-faceted, extremely useful tool that is relatively easy to use in spite of the unusual name. According to Tonkin, (2005) “It was born in 1995 to hold a pattern repository, the term ‘Wiki’ famously being taken from the Hawaiian term ‘WikiWiki’, or ‘Super fast’” (Introduction section para. 3). The first wikis used in a classroom setting were low-grade beginnings of the wiki. They were simply sites for students to complete assignments and homework, information for the students could be accessed from them and then utilized for class work. Today teachers are using them in much more complex ways, and their role in classroom learning has not only increased and advanced but has become much more central to the learning process. Teachers have been working very diligently to put their entire classroom online.

The wiki is such a versatile tool that the teacher can use it in a variety of ways. One idea would be a single-user wiki, a wiki that is used much along the lines of a concept map. The wiki becomes a great way to store and organize ideas. Students could use the wiki to keep a lab book or research book online. A wiki can also be a good knowledge base. A knowledge base wiki will have effective navigation and categorization as well as an efficient search function and file management abilities, so a good technical support team will be able to retain and have access to their experiences at anytime (Tonkin, 2005, Use Cases section, para. 12).

The use of participatory software, such as wiki, is one of several exciting revolutionary electronic Web 2.0 platforms that can augment a collaborative learning process and help overcome the barriers in distance learning as well as enhance communication and collaboration in classroom based teaching environments, according to Butcher, (2008, p.33),

making the wiki an extremely useful tool in any classroom. The wiki becomes a place for students to work in groups, however as Rubenstein (2008) points out, “The intangible part is that it allows for asynchronous cooperation, so one student can work on a group project in the afternoon, one in the evening and one at night, and each will build on what the previous one did” (p.42).

A wiki is a very useful tool because of the difference between a wiki and other means of electronic communication. Ward Cunnigham is the creator of the very first wiki and he found the word to identify his idea while traveling in Honolulu. He found the word to be unique and adequately designed to describe what a wiki is. Wikis have been a central theme for not only educational resources, but also “business, entrepreneurial, and research settings” (Butcher, 2008, p.34). This is because of the unique way a wiki works, the information of a wiki is available to all users who are permitted access to it with a password, from there the users can edit the information to show a growth of knowledge about whatever the topic of the wiki may be. The wiki is also unique in that none of the previous knowledge is ever lost; the original form always remains. “Unlike email, which ‘pushes’ discrete copies of the same information to each person and then requires a combination of separate revisions, a wiki ‘pulls’ people together to work simultaneously on the same text.(Mader2008)” (Butcher, 2008, p.34). That is the key to the wiki success, the ability of users to collect and amass knowledge, instead of just moving it around. Butcher (2008) would sum up the definition of a wiki as, “a website in which users can create and collaboratively view, edit, track changes, and save information by using a web browser” (p.34).

Wikis can be categorized into two major types: either public or private. The most popular example of a public wiki is Wikipedia. The value of public wikis is based on four factors according to McPherson (2006), “The wiki’s readability, the school’s accessibility to the Internet, the objectives of the teacher-librarian and classroom teacher, and the students’ ability to evaluate the authenticity and credibility of wiki information” (Types of Wikis section, para. 5). Because of the problems that Wikipedia has been fraught with, public wikis have received a bad name; however, not all of them have the same issues that Wikipedia has had. Private Wikis that are used in education are restricted to specific groups and passwords are used to enter the wikis.

A wiki is a powerful tool that helps students to be connected, improves collaboration efforts, and knowledge construction. Wikis have been identified as having four basic principles: “Tapscott and Williams (2006) identified four “wikinomic” principles: being open; peering, sharing, and acting globally. Wikinomics is defined as a ‘new art and science of collaboration’ (Tapscott & Williams, 2006, p.18)” (Butcher, 2008, p.35). Being open means that a wiki is transparent, changes made to a wiki can be made anonymously, which has plagued the case of the wiki. In the case of educational wikis the instructor has control over the aspects of the wiki. The instructor can elect to have the wiki open to the whole class or divided into groups and only the members of the groups have access to their group wiki. The instructor can also determine if there is a deadline on an assignment. Peering is bringing the students together to collaborate in a horizontal mutual process. According to Butcher (2008), “peering involves participation along horizontal lines and is a way of creating knowledge, goods, or services through dynamic shared experiences using the collective intelligence of the invested community” (p.37). Students also participate in peer review as part of the peering process. This means that students are accountable for their part of the project, this helps to build the sense of community among the members of the group. Sharing is the basis behind the wiki. Each member of the group adds their knowledge to the wiki and the content continues to grow. The process of sharing makes the document become greater and different from the sum of the each group member’s contribution. Acting globally refers to the intertwined world of fiber optic cables, telephone lines, wireless, satellite-base transmissions, and interconnected computers in that we live.

According to Friedman (2007, this new globalization is unique because it is characterized by a ‘newfound power fore individuals to collaborate . . . and the phenomenon is enabling, empowering and enjoining individuals and small groups to go global so easily and seamlessly’ (p.10) (Butcher, 2008, p.40)

Using Problem Based Learning

Using a wiki to enhance a problem-based learning (PBL) lesson can help to get all of the students involved in the activity. PBL is a constructivist teaching method where students learn problem solving skill and content knowledge through investigation in a collaborative environment. According to Park (2008), “Technology often plays an important role during the problem-based learning (PBL) process, serving as a critical tool for information searching, organizing and analyzing data, and presenting solutions” (p. 632). Students learn to take a problem, analyze it, gather data, and develop a solution to present to the group at the end of the project.

The PBL methodology encourages students to undertake in-depth analysis of the information they have gathered as well as the information they have received in relation to the problem or situation. This emphasis on analysis is needed in technology problem solving as it is too easy for students to gather a great deal of information during the research phase of problem solving then simply that information to support their original idea, according to Williams (2008, p. 323).

Brainstorming is a vital characteristic of problem-based learning (PBL), and thus is why groups are a basic principle of the PBL methodology. The brainstorming process is much more effective in a group environment than when do the work on their own. Williams (2007) says, “The major reason for this increase in effectiveness is that there is a reduced level of fear of failure in the group (Killen, 1992, p.72)” (p.324). Students develop a value for teamwork, learn to make commitments, and realize that collaboration leads to cooperation.

A final aspect problem-based learning (PBL) provides education process an emphasis on reflection. According to Williams (2007),

The ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the outcome, and the process followed in achieving that outcome, has long been recognized as an important part of the technological design process. The PBL methodology places an emphasis on reflection as a part of the process, as well as the outcome achieved by that process, (p. 324).

The ability for the student to evaluate the outcome of the groups work and reflect on the process of the group as a whole is an important life skill. Both students and teachers can reflect on the project to determine what worked and what did not work as an individual and as a group.

Using The Wiki In a Problem-Based Learning Lesson

Preparing to start a problem-based learning (PBL) lesson requires the instructor to take four initial steps. Sterling (2007) identifies these steps as: “(1) identify a topic, (2) establish the problem to solve, (3) provide a role for students, and (4) create the scenario in which the problem takes place” (p. 50). Sterling completed a PBL with a group of fourth to sixth grade science students who were trying to solve the mystery of the identification and prevention of the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and other diseases. First, they had to be taught some of the basics solving problems and researching. It was emphasized that there would be no right or wrong answer because of the complexity of the issue and the groups did not have to come up with the same recommendations. The groups worked with flipchart paper and posters on the walls in the classroom. The teams did internet research as well as conducting hands on activities, viewing slides and photographs of different bacteria to enhance their learning.

Each team recorded answers to their questions on their own, usually directly on the Action Plan Chart or in their notebook. However, when information generated from class discussions was more detailed, such as how diseases are spread, we created large flipchart pages to post around the room for the whole class to see, according to Sterling, (2007, p.52).

These students could have been given access to a wiki to organize their notes and put their group research together. With the wiki, students would have been able to work on the project outside of the classroom especially to help them organize their internet research. Rubenstein (2008) reports about a science teacher in Pennsylvania, who makes use of the wiki for her class,

Louise Maine, a science teacher at Punxsutawney Area High School, in Western Pennsylvania, essentially runs her entire class on a wiki. During class, students upload lab data and observations to their wiki pages in real time. Later, from home, they can write formal lab reports and engage in discussions in the same space. The wiki is a parallel classroom – one where students can collaborate, ask questions, and find answers, and where Maine can engage them from any computer anywhere, day or night, (p.42).

Wikis have not always viewed in a positive light. According to Williams (2008), “Many educators tend to view wikis in a negative light – labeling what is perhaps the most popular wiki, Wikipedia, as a useful but untrustworthy site that students should avoid at all costs,” (p.34). After discovering WetPaint.com Williams reconsidered wikis. With WetPaint.com, the instructor has the ability to set up a private environment for their students that only the group members can login to. Williams (2008) believes, “A large part of the success of establishing a sense of community with the wiki was the students’ ability to post pictures of themselves and to create profiles that other members can view,” (p. 35). A wiki is more than posting notes on a poster around a classroom; students develop a sense of self with the wiki. The teacher has control of the members of the wiki and the freedoms the members are given.

The wiki has the power to accelerate collaboration among students. According to Butcher (2008), “Students are often immersed in a competitive learning environment that offers limited peering, sharing, and collaborative knowledge creating experiences. A wiki, however, enables students to work together in a way that improve collaboration and fosters knowledge sharing,” (p.42). A large part of what the students of today are doing is done on the internet. Will Richardson, a one-time high school English teacher who is now an edu-tech consultant shares his beliefs about Web 2.0 in seminars all over. McCloskey (2006) quotes Richardson in an article, “The new internet isn’t about technology anymore…Gone, he said, are the days when Web publishing involved manipulating HTML code and other complicated technical processes. New software is mostly “open source,” meaning it’s available online for free,” (What’s your red paper clip section, para 3). The open source software make it easier for teachers to have access to wikis without an expense to the district or to themselves personally. According to McCloskey (2006), “Richardson took the educators step-by-step through the process of setting up their own wikis at pbwiki.com. Much to the relief of the techno-novices, this proved remarkably easy,” (Just before lunch section, para 1).

Choosing the right wiki for the educational purpose intended becomes the key to making the wiki work. Authentication was a problem with the original wikis.

It is still used, along with several clones, but authentication has become increasingly necessary due to the risk of overwriting not by hostile individuals, but by spambots (programs that extract email addresses from Web pages for the purposes of spam) using the wiki space to link to a set of sites in the hope of earning an improved search engine page ranking, according to Tonkin, (2005, Choosing a Wiki section, para 2).

There are many wikis available from PBwiki and Wetpaint, which are open source wikis or Wikispaces where you can pay a nominal fee to eliminate the advertisements.

Wikis can be integrated into the Computer Applications class group vocabulary assignment my students are expected to complete each week. Each group must create a map of the vocabulary words for the lesson of the week. The map must include the definition, any keyboard shortcut, any Microsoft Certification Skills related to the word, and at least one sentence explaining how to use that particular word in the application. The use of a wiki would allow me to add the feature of having them research on the internet how having that skill will help them to find a job, or how that skill will help them in the future in some way. At the end of the unit each group will put together a presentation to share with the class of all the ways they have come up with that learning the application they have been working on will be helpful to them in the future.

Conclusion

The wiki is a tool for the 21st century classroom that is not complicated for teachers to learn how to use. Teachers can incorporate them into their curriculum in a variety of ways in all curriculums. Wikis are being used for collaborative projects worldwide. According to Rubenstein (2008), “Davis, who teaches high school technology in Camilla, Georgia, has blown out the walls of that parallel classroom by orchestrating student collaboration across continents, between places as distant as the United States and Bangladesh,” (p.42). The wiki encourages cooperation among the students who are working on group projects. The wiki gives students the ability to work on their projects anytime, anywhere; they are no longer restricted to the four walls of the classroom.

The group nature of a wiki makes it a perfect fit for a problem-based learning (PBL) classroom as well. Research and organization is a vital part of PBL and the wiki will help the student in a PBL classroom gather and organize their research. A wiki can help the groups in a PBL pull their research together and build their reports or presentations. The wiki is a tool with great potential in all classrooms. A couple of relevant items that should be kept in mind by all instructors when looking at a wiki is what is the purpose of the assignment; how will the wiki be used. Tonkin (2005) points out, “Bear in mind that wikis differ in all sorts of detail, and therefore that it is generally worth test-driving a selection of possible software packages before coming to a decision,” (Conclusion section, para.2).

The wiki is a great open source tool that is available in several versions, that is easy to set up and can be used in all curriculums to enhance group work, research and class projects.



References

Butcher, H. K., & Taylor, J. Y. (2008). Using a wiki to enhance knowing participation in change in the teaching-learning process. Visions: The Journal of Rogerian Nursing Science, 15(1), 30-44. Retrieved 9/5/08 from CINAHL database.

Emma Tonkin. (2005). Making the Case for a Wiki. Ariadne, (42) Retrieved 9/23/08 from Vista.

McCloskey, P. J. (2006). The blogvangelist. (cover story). Teacher Magazine, 18(2), 22-29. Retrieved 9/5/08 from Academic Search Premier database.

McPherson, K. (2006). Wikis and literacy development. Teacher Librarian, 34(1), 67-69. Retrieved 9/5/08 from Academic Search Premier database.

Park, S. H., & Ertmer, P. A. (2008). Examining barriers in technology-enhanced problem-based learning: Using a performance support systems approach. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(4), 631-643. Retrieved from Wilson Omnifile database 9/24/08.

Rubenstein, G. (2008, August/September). The Way of the Wiki. Edutopia, 4, 42.

Sterling, D. R. (2007). Methods and strategies: Modeling problem-based instruction. Science and Children, 45(4), 50-53. Retrieved from Wilson Omnifile 9/24/08.

Williams, P. A. (2008, August). The Wiki: Evil Entity or Educational Enhancement? Learning & Leading with Technology, 36, 34-35.

Williams, P. J., Iglesias, J., & Barak, M. (2008). Problem based learning: Application to technology education in three countries. International Journal of Technology & Design Education, 18(4), 319-335. Retrieved from Springerlink Contemporary database 9/5/08.