It appears opinions vary on this question. Being quite new at this "wiki" stuff I don't have an answer. I would think. however, that a person could use a wiki to gather new information or ideas that could then be verified by more traditional means and used in a report or research paper.
Since wikis can be edited by anyone at anytime, I am not sure that one could consider it a valid resource for learning. It's definitely something that you could look at but I would not cite it for a research paper.
With the parent's access and interaction in our classrooms, using a wiki is a scary adventure. If one parent found something inappropriate, we could be in trouble as educators. It is an exciting tool and certainly the wave of the future. Yes, wiki's can be a valid source for information, research and learning. The editing possibilities are an awesome learning tool that would reinforce research and collaboration.
The opportunities for learning come in many differnet forms and at many differnet times. Remember when you learned not to touch hot things or when you learned how to gauge the mood of a room, these things were not necessarly done in a rigid classroom structure. As human beings all of our life experiences provide the opportunity for learning. I believe the wiki can be a fantastic learning tool. They can be valid source's of information, but we stillneed to check them just as we check books and their sources. As a research tool, I feel the wiki can really shine, since it can be used to collect data from a great many locations and groups. All technology must be properly implemented to limit abuse, but we should not allow some abuse to control how we utilize the technology for education and growth. This is our time to become the new explorer's and to boldly step and explore the new regions of technology.
I think wikis are a great way to do group projects. 4 students could have access to and author a wiki about "The Water Cycle" or "North America" while another group has a wiki on "Europe". Wikis are great for showing (and growing) student learning. I don't know how I feel about using them as sources in research papers, but I think there are many other areas students can use them for not just research.
I think that it definitely can. You just have to be able to see how valid it is. If it is written by a young child and it is about Calculus, you have to wonder how valid it is. I think that is something you really have to watch for. You also have to understand that some wikis may be opinions rather than fact. You have to really watch these things.
I think that wikis have their positives and negatives. There are a lot of good wikis out there with good information that could be used as a reference, but students need to have other sources of information too. I don't think that wikis should be the only reference they use for research. They need to find other sources that support it -- without using the links provided on the wiki. I think that wikis are a good tool for certain projects. They are a great collaborative tool. As with everything else, negatives do exist with this.
The text we are using stated that if we expect students to blog - we ourselves must become bloggers. I believe the same is true for wiki. For me it is hard to think how I am going to utilize this the best while I am still learning. I want to give the students freedom to learn and explore but, as mentioned earlier, fear that one may ruin it for all when a parent sees something that they object.
A wiki is another tool that will allow user access to information that can be used in research and learning. The validity of the wiki should be determined by the user. SO - it can be a valid source.
After viewing several wikis, I would venture to say that the validity of a wiki may depend on its history. A user of a wiki (students or otherwise) needs to pay close attention to what has happened to the information in the past and then determine if what's there is a valid source for information, research, or learning. The comparing feature that allows the contrast of one version to the next helps to show what changes have been made so that the user may evaluate the current information.
I agree with many of the comments, wikis provide information on an infinite amount of topics. The real test for students is to verify the information they are reading/editing. Kind of tricky, but a high level of learning, "researching the research". This would be a good learning activity - prove which wiki is accurate... :-)
13 comments:
It appears opinions vary on this question. Being quite new at this "wiki" stuff I don't have an answer. I would think. however, that a person could use a wiki to gather new information or ideas that could then be verified by more traditional means and used in a report or research paper.
Since wikis can be edited by anyone at anytime, I am not sure that one could consider it a valid resource for learning. It's definitely something that you could look at but I would not cite it for a research paper.
I feel learning will always take place
With the parent's access and interaction in our classrooms, using a wiki is a scary adventure. If one parent found something inappropriate, we could be in trouble as educators. It is an exciting tool and certainly the wave of the future. Yes, wiki's can be a valid source for information, research and learning. The editing possibilities are an awesome learning tool that would reinforce research and collaboration.
The opportunities for learning come in many differnet forms and at many differnet times. Remember when you learned not to touch hot things or when you learned how to gauge the mood of a room, these things were not necessarly done in a rigid classroom structure. As human beings all of our life experiences provide the opportunity for learning.
I believe the wiki can be a fantastic learning tool. They can be valid source's of information, but we stillneed to check them just as we check books and their sources.
As a research tool, I feel the wiki can really shine, since it can be used to collect data from a great many locations and groups.
All technology must be properly implemented to limit abuse, but we should not allow some abuse to control how we utilize the technology for education and growth.
This is our time to become the new explorer's and to boldly step and explore the new regions of technology.
I think wikis are a great way to do group projects. 4 students could have access to and author a wiki about "The Water Cycle" or "North America" while another group has a wiki on "Europe".
Wikis are great for showing (and growing) student learning. I don't know how I feel about using them as sources in research papers, but I think there are many other areas students can use them for not just research.
I think that it definitely can. You just have to be able to see how valid it is. If it is written by a young child and it is about Calculus, you have to wonder how valid it is. I think that is something you really have to watch for. You also have to understand that some wikis may be opinions rather than fact. You have to really watch these things.
I think that wikis have their positives and negatives. There are a lot of good wikis out there with good information that could be used as a reference, but students need to have other sources of information too. I don't think that wikis should be the only reference they use for research. They need to find other sources that support it -- without using the links provided on the wiki. I think that wikis are a good tool for certain projects. They are a great collaborative tool. As with everything else, negatives do exist with this.
I think that it can be a source. I don't think it should be the ONLY source.
The text we are using stated that if we expect students to blog - we ourselves must become bloggers. I believe the same is true for wiki. For me it is hard to think how I am going to utilize this the best while I am still learning. I want to give the students freedom to learn and explore but, as mentioned earlier, fear that one may ruin it for all when a parent sees something that they object.
A wiki is another tool that will allow user access to information that can be used in research and learning. The validity of the wiki should be determined by the user. SO - it can be a valid source.
After viewing several wikis, I would venture to say that the validity of a wiki may depend on its history. A user of a wiki (students or otherwise) needs to pay close attention to what has happened to the information in the past and then determine if what's there is a valid source for information, research, or learning. The comparing feature that allows the contrast of one version to the next helps to show what changes have been made so that the user may evaluate the current information.
I agree with many of the comments, wikis provide information on an infinite amount of topics. The real test for students is to verify the information they are reading/editing. Kind of tricky, but a high level of learning, "researching the research". This would be a good learning activity - prove which wiki is accurate... :-)
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