Why Wiki?

A wikis is a collection of web pages which can be shared and edited by multiple viewers. Its main purpose is to act as an easily accessible medium to enable the sharing of ideas and comments whilst engaging collective collaborative and wide participation. Ward Cunningham, the developer of the first wiki software, WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as ‘the simplest online database that could possibly work’ (Ward, 2002, cited in Wikipedia, 2010a). A good starting point for understanding what a wiki offers can be found the Educause report which identifies seven things you should know about wikis available http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf

Users are able to edit any page and can create new pages within a wiki web site using simple web based authorising tools which do not require any client side downloads. The development of wiki pages help to promote useful subject associations between other wiki pages using simple hyperlink. Wikis seek to involve the viewer with ongoing process of creation and collaboration that constantly changes the Web site landscape; this dynamic environment aims to be refreshed by user generated content.

Wikis are often used by academic establishments as part of a blended e-learning solution to promote collaborative work between a specific cohort of learners to produce a joint piece of evidence. Online distance learners can use wikis as means to connect with other group members to develop a project. This web based asynchronous tool fits well with all the advantages identified in e-learning where learners can make contributions at their own pace but be able to instantly display others the details they wish to share.

The must famous wiki of all is Wikipedia accessed at www.wikipedia.org. This online research tool is much more than just an online encyclopaedia. ‘Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown rapidly into one of the largest reference web sites, attracting nearly 68 million visitors monthly as of January 2010. There are more than 91,000 active contributors working on more than 15,000,000 articles in more than 270 languages’ (Wikipedia, 2010b). The main advantage over a paper based encyclopaedia is the search function; from this you are able to have a powerful and comprehensive database of information at your finger tips.

Although the history facility enables users to track changes and contributions the main problem with Wikipedia is the validity of the content. That said, user added content is moderated and edited by many other people who share an interest in a specific topic. The speed at which a contribution is edited and corrected by a large body of volunteers is very impressive. Unlike paper reference materials, Wikipedia is continually updated, with the creation or updating of articles on historic events within hours, minutes, or even seconds, rather than months or years for printed encyclopaedias.

From my own experience some academic establishments question the validity of the content taken from online wiki resources unless the details are backed up peer review papers or journals. This puts pressure on the user community to consider value added content and relies on the social values expressed by a ‘community of practice’ (Wenger 1996). Weller continues this thought and adds that ‘individuals learn by participating in a real-context community’ (Weller, 2006, p.12). The values required are that of trust in others, support gained from peer group learning, the sharing of ideas, identity in community spirit and the building of shared ownership.

For a simple illustration on how users can benefit from using a wiki please view the youtube clip that explains wikis in plain English at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY.

References

Weller (2006) Weller, M.J. (2006) ‘The distance from isolation: why communities are the logical conclusion in e-learning’ in Dias de Figueiredo, A. and Afonso, A. (eds) Managing Learning in Virtual Settings: The Role of Context, Hershey, PA, Information Science Publishing.

Wenger, E. (1996) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Wikipedia (2010a) ‘Wikipedia definition for Wiki’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki#cite_note-3 (Accessed 30 Mar 10)

Wikipedia (2010b) ‘Wikipedia, Help:About’, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:About (Accessed 30 Mar 10)