Wikis are a great tool for allowing students to work in a group even if they are not in the same room. For classwork a Wiki can be used to upload the covered in a lesson so students who were away are able to keep up with what is happening in the classroom and be able to return to class without missing the key learnings that the teacher needed the students to have. The students are able to show the teacher that they have followed along by posting their work on the Wiki for the teacher to give feedback on. It is also handy for other students who access the Wiki to see how their peers have interpretted the learnings. It is also a space for students to discuss or even form a group discussion about a topic with the added benefit of having the teacher able to input also.
A homework Wiki means students have access to links and the homework requirements without needing sheets or to remember to bring their homework. They can simply upload their homework to the Wiki for the teacher to mark.
Here is my wiki containing deBonos 6 Hats
Wikis also have some negatives relating to their uses. A wiki can be updated and changed by anyone that is viewing it. This can mean that students may delete or change comments posted by a fellow student. This may not seem like such a problem as you can always discover who updated the Wiki last but if a derogatory comment is left on a students wiki even for the shortest period of time the wiki will then be useless as the students may not feel comfortablein voicing their thoughts or opinions.
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