Wiki

=Wiki =

Roosevelt Merritts, Sr,

Description and Uses of Technology

When it comes to the selection of a conversational knowledge management software for a closed environment such as education, there are a number of viable options available, but Wiki should be near the top of your list. Wagner (2004) defines a Wiki as a set of linked web pages created by a group of people working collaboratively, along with the software that manages the web pages. It is a great way of managing and sharing related information and knowledge. Wiki's can hold any type of media, such as images, text, videos, or diagrams. As noted by Goodnoe (2005), Wikis, developed by Ward Cunningham in 1995, was inspired by the Apple Hypercard programming environment (used for hypermedia, a computer-based computer information retrieval system that allow users to gain access to text, pictures, graphics, and other media). He stated that the first Wiki was created as a way to manage the Portland Pattern Repository site content (a repository for computer programming design patterns). According to Cunningham (2011), this Wiki technology that now powers massive websites, perhaps the best known of which is Wikipedia, could have potentially netted Cunningham millions of dollars, but he released it for free.

As noted by Wagner (2004), some of the Wiki Design Principles are listed below:

1. Open - If a page is found to be incomplete or poorly organized, any reader can edit it as he/she see fit.

2. Incremental - Pages can cite other pages, including pages that have not been written yet.

3. Organic - The structure and text content of the site is open to editing and evolution.

4. Universal - The mechanisms of editing and organizing are the same as those of writing so that any writer is automaticallly an editor and an organizer.

5. Precise - Pages will be titled with sufficient precision to avoid most name clashes, typically by forming noun phrases.

6. Observable - Activity within the site can be watched and reviewed by any other visitor to the site.

7. Convergent - Duplication can be discouraged or removed by finding and citing similar or related content..

One of the great attributes about Wiki is that it is a multi-user technology that allows multiple users to create and manipulate web pages without conflict and inconsistencies that can arise when multiple users attempt to edit the same software. Rubenstein (2008) states that Wiki websites can be easily and instantly edited by whomever the Wiki owner permits. She goes on to say that some of the teachers who first used Wikis began simply by posting assignments and conveying information to their students, but are now using them to create classrooms online. What's great about a Wiki is that it's the ultimate enabler of collaboration, being a place where group work can both be organized and everyone can view and contribute to it. In fact, this collaboration is without bounds, since it can involve groups of people drawn together by similar interests both at the local level and even around the world. As noted by Reynard (2009), Wikis promote evaluating, synthesizing, elaborating, analyzing, problem solving, decision making, knowledge-based construction, and learning communities. Therefore, it becomes obvious that this technology can assist in creating and enhancing metacognitive, or higher-level thinking skills that teachers would love to see developed in their students.



Credit - Wesley Bedrosian
According to Cole (2009), the characteristics of Wiki technology particularly suit the constructivist (students constructing their own learning) and collaborative (student working in groups for conceptual understanding) learning models, since both of these models differ from the classic behaviorist model of learning which assumes that the goal of teaching is to efficiently transmit knowledge from the expert (teacher) to the learner. Educationally, she views Wiki use as falling under these four broad categories:

1. Single-user - This allows individual students to write and edit their own thoughts and is useful for revision and monitoring changes in understanding over time.

2. Lab book - This enables students to peer review notes kept online by adding, for example, commentary or annotations to existing lecture notes or seminar discussions.

3. Collaborative writing - This can be used by a team for joint research such as a group project, essay or presentation.

4. Creating a topical knowledge repository for a module cohort - Through collaborative entries, students create course content that supplements and extends their regular classroom learning material.

Wikis have also found its way into the business world. Goodnoe (2005) discussed how document management for project teams in business enterprises can become a nightmare, where e-mails follow divergent paths, spreadsheets and Word documents get passed around, and nobody's quite sure who has the most recent version. Even the administrative assistant in charge of taking meeting notes and storing them on her hard drive may go on vacation at the most inopportune times. Sometimes the marketing strategies may change, but nobody remembers to ask the company's web group to update the company intranet. However, the Wiki software, with its collaborative technology, solves all of these business problems. Also important is the fact that, unlike the traditional content management systems, Wiki software remains simple enough for non-technical employees to use.

Wikis are intended to maintain a series of unique documents as their content evolves and to provide an organic means of organizing that information. Wikis are designed to facilitate the exchange of information within and between teams. Content in a Wiki can be updated without any real lag, without any real administrative effort, and without the need for distribution, since users and contributors simply visit and update a common Web site. Wikis can centralize all types of corporate data, such as spreadsheets, Word documents, and PowerPoint slides - anything that can be displayed in a browser. They can also embed standard communications media such as e-mail and instant messaging. Some of the companies using Wiki technology include Yahoo, Nokia, and Michelin China.

Important Findings on Student Outcomes

Education today is undergoing a paradigm shift, moving away from teacher-as-instructor to student-centered learning, causing the curriculum to be designed around individual learning outcomes instead of subject content. This is forcing teachers to review and modify how they deliver educational instruction to the students as well as how they assess their learning. This helps to explain the interest in utilizing web-based technology to create a flexible learning environment. We are specifically referring to the Web 2.0 technologies, or so-called social software, which includes Wikis (along with blogs and social bookmarking). According to Cole (2009), Wikis and other social software allow students to be 'publishers' as opposed to mere consumers of information since they are able to both share and collaborate on knowledge. This gives teachers the opportunity to create engaging tasks that require student participation and knowledge building.

However, Guo et al notes that research into Wiki use in academia is relatively new and, although some research has examined Wikis in learning, they tend to focus more on the characterizing of Wiki learning activities or the establishing of guidelines for Wiki implementation. This limited research has, however, exposed significant gaps. First of all, a gap exists between students' understanding of the use of Wikis in learning as it relates to their motivation to use it. It is believed that this deficit results from too little consideration being given to the important internal social and psychological process through which learning occurs, and that greater knowledge is needed to understand how technologies can enhance learning and why people adopt an emergent technology such as Wikis. The other gap relates to understanding the way in which Wikis enhance a student's learning. Despite its use as a teaching tool, it is still not clear how, and in what context, a learner's use of Wikis enhances his/her learning. Overall, we need to know (1) what motivates educators and students to use Wiki technology in teaching and learning, and (2) which types of motivations does Wiki technology best fulfill.

On a more positive note regarding educational use of Wikis, Dempsey et al describes a case study known as "Operations Strategy" in which undergraduate students' experiences utilizing Wiki technology were evaluated. A diverse population of inter-disciplinary and multi-cultural groups were set up and allocated a Wiki to serve as a communications and collaboration space. A common case study was given to each group for analysis and discussion, with the groups' responses being uploaded to Wiki in real-time. With regards to their impressions of the Wiki technology, one student talked about how easy Wikis were to use. With regards to collaboration, one student commented how Wikis allowed them to work together both inside and outside of the classroom. One student was please with the way that Wikis and working together in groups resulted in multiple ways to come up with the final answer and open up new ideas. Finally, using Wikis in a group setting made them more engaged and presented them with a better way of learning.

Mutally (2010) offered insight into one of the emerging technology trends called the 'Semantic Web', which is a group of methods and technologies that allow machines to understand the meaning (or 'semantics') of information on the web. An example of a semantic application is Semantic Wiki. Traditional Wikis such as Wikipedia have proven effective as collaboration tools in workgroup environments. However, a semantic Wiki is much more enhanced, using knowledge modeling and the ability to identify and capture information and relationships about the data within pages in ways that can then be queried or exported.

Kumar and Pitts points out that a potential trend for Wikis in the future is the integration of high-powered graphics (Scalable Vector Graphics or SVG). Wikis may also be impacted by the discussions held around 3-D social networking systems and immersive 3-D internet environments that will take the best of virtual worlds (such as Second Life) and gaming environments and merge them with the Web.

However, according to Kumar and Pitts, there are several issues and implications with Web 2.0 technologies such as Wikis that require awareness and attention. Some of the issues they mention include information control, intellectual property, copyright, authorship, privacy, security and cultural considerations. In collaborative environments (such as Wikis) questions of credibility, accuracy, authorship, and vandalism have also arisen. They state that "although open content is seen as a panacea for information and knowledge sharing, lines are being blurred in terms of rightful ownership, authorship, and copyright." The bottom line is that this whole idea of social networking brings to the forefront the aforementioned issues of trust, privacy and security that must be continually monitored. Also, one of the fundamental aspects of Web 2.0 technologies, as noted by Kumar and Pitts, is that it allows users to participate and express themselves; however most producers are individuals and organizations with access to technology, computer skills, and money, resulting in the so-called 'digital divide' between the haves and the have-nots with respect to digital technologies. Since one of the greatest strengths of Web 2.0 is that of its participatory nature, if one cannot participate then its effectiveness is loss. We just do not know or understand the total social and cultural impact of Wikis and other Web 2.0 technology as of yet, but we must be vigilant and remain informed and aware of the changing nature of the Web and the benefits and drawbacks made possible by such technologies.

References
Cole, M. (2009). USING WIKI TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT STUDENT ENGAGEMENT: LESSONS FROM THE TRENCHES, 2008 Elsevier Ltd., Computer & Education 52 (2009), 141-146

Cunningham, W. (2011). THE WIKI: TECHNOLOGY THAT CHANGED INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS, Public Radio International, Minneapolis, Minn. USA

Dempsey, M., Gormley, P., and McDwyer, L. AN ANALYSIS OF THIRD LEVEL MULTI-CULTURAL INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES USING WIKI TECHNOLOGY []

Goodnoe, E. (2005). HOW TO USE WIKIS FOR BUSINESS, InformationWeek

Guo, Z., Zhang, Y., and Stevens, K. A 'USES AND GRATIFICATIONS' APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF WIKI TECHNOLOGY IN ENHANCING TEACHING AND LEARNING OUTCOMES, School of Information Systems, Technology and Management, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia []

Kumar, R. and Pitts, K. ISSUES IN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION, Web 2.0 Learning Environments []

Mulally, T. (2010). KEY EMERGING TECHNOLOGY TRENDS FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS, Emerging Media Technologies

Reynard, R. (2009). 3 CHALLENGES TO WIKI USE IN INSTRUCTION. Campus Technology, Wake Forest University

Rubenstein, G. (2008). THE WAY OF THE WIKI: BUILDING ONLINE CREATIVITY AND COOPERATION. Edutopia Website, The George Lucas Educational Foundation [|www.**edutopia**.org/]

Wagner, C. (2004). WIKI: A TECHNOLOGY FOR CONVERSATIONAL KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND GROUP COLLABORATION. Communications of the Association for Informational Systems, 1-26