A wiki is a collaborative website. It allows multiple users to edit, alter, and create content - all with relative ease and without knowledge of HTML or other programming languages. Given their collaborative nature, wikis are much like the writing process - never done! One of the most popular examples of a wiki is Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia in which users create and edit the entries (raising questions about accuracy, objectivity, and a writer's credentials). Interestingly, the New York Times published an article last summer, "Seeing Corporate Fingerprints in Wikipedia," about the downsides to using/trusting Wikipedia. Not all wikis look like Wikipedia, though. Our course wiki, for example, is designed to resemble more of a traditional web page with its visual interest and structure.
For a great demonstration of how to use wikis, check out the video "Wikis in Plain English" by Common Craft, a company created by two people in Seattle who found their niche online: explaining complex social networking and web applications in simple, "plain" terms.
As you can see from the video, wikis are great for any group or community of users: classes, student groups, etc. Any ideas about how we could use one in a productive way for our course?
The Renassiance
15 years ago
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