Wikis: Collaborating in the 21st Century

As I explored the information about wikis this week, I became excited about the numerous possibilites for using technology to connect people with common interests. I am involved in a variety of groups and am always searching for ways to be more efficient and effective. I listed several ideas for wikis within the ETEC wiki. I created several workspaces as a result of this project. The wiki I will be concentrating on and sharing with the class will be for the Fine Arts teachers in our district. I created the workspace and began creating a concept map before I develop the space further. I am currently trying to decide whether I should create a central wiki for the group and have separate pages for each area or to create a separate wiki for each: band, choir, orchestra, dance, art, theatre arts. I will allow all members of our class to see the wiki as I develop framework. At the end of the class I will limit access to the Fine Arts teachers.

I believe using a wiki will make it easier for the Fine Arts teachers to share ideas and materials. As the director it will also enable me to share common information with the group in a central location. One disadvantage I see concerns the privacy of the materials on the wiki. Another potential disadvange is whether or not the materials are backed up. I noticed the free versions of wikis have space and security limitations. As I move forward with the project I may subscribe to a paid wiki or set up an internal wike on our network. I am also cocncerned that some information is difficult to convey in writing and potentially could be misinterpreted. Introducing the wiki to the group and providing guidelines for posting and editing will be critical to the success of the wiki.

Marc Prensky calls today's students ~ digital natives ~ students who have always had access to technological tools. According to Prensky, "Today’s teachers have to learn to communicate in the language and style of their students. This doesn’t mean changing the meaning of what is important, or of good thinking skills. But it does mean going faster, less step-by step, more in parallel, with more random access, among other things." Based on my experience this week with wikis I would support their use to meet the needs of digial natives.

There are several web 2.0 tools I plan to explore including: podcasting, virtual learning worlds, videocasts, and mashups ~ (as soon as I learn what a mashup is!).