Wiki Reflection

My personal experience with the Wiki process started out a lot like this....

In the beginning I did not have a clue what the word Wiki meant.  I thought it was an abbreviation for Wikipedia.  It is interesting how I began the journey to understand this concept because it began through searching Google for a definition of a Wiki.  Of course the first place it brought me to was Wikipedia.  Imagine the confusion at that point.  I realized quickly that in order to really understand I would have to research through many different sources to really understand what I was dealing with.  

Through exploring and creating the collaborate wiki on instructional design I learned about the ease of using a wiki and the benefits of collaboration.  Before collaborating on a wiki I had been involved in conversations about citing Wikipedia and the concept of never knowing if the information comes from a valid source.  I had heard of the concept of Wikipedia being an open source for anyone to add information on a topic, but did not quite understand that this idea is used in many other sites.  (Or should I say wiki's)  The collaborating between colleagues was rough at first because I could not quite tell who had worked on what.  Through the discovery of the 'history' tab, I found I could track at least the names of users that have edited a page.  The concept of editing and adding to others' work without speaking to them directly was difficult for me.  I will definitely be better at this the next time I participate in a collaboration of this type.  


If I used a wiki again I would try to give comments and feedback through another source such as email while collaborating.  I would be specific about which parts I had added to a site and other thoughts as to what could be added in order to make the wiki better.  For classroom use I believe this would be extremely difficult for the students in the elementary setting.  If I were able to work with an older group I would be sure to have specific directions regarding siting of sources and exact requirements to meet.  I could see it working more as a topic that I begin as a teacher and then ask certain students to be responsible for adding specific details.  An example could be a wiki on the American Revolution and giving one student the topic of the Battle of Bunker Hill and another the Declaration of Independence.  I would require that each student gives a short 3-5 sentence description, date, important people, and location of the event or topic which was assigned to them.  


I look forward to more wiki exploration and collaboration in the future!


Resource:
jibyollee. (April 30, 2009). YouTube.com.  Retrieved August 31, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MwTvtyrUQ