I must confess...I am wiki-ignorant. Of course I know what they are; after all, my job requires many hours logged on a computer, but I have never really used one and I definitely have not created one. To be honest, I've never been a fan.
I know that the research literature claims they "help groups collaborate, share, and build online content...[especially for] distance learners who are separated by time and place" (West & West, 2009, p. 3) and I do not dispute this fact. As a matter of fact I find this to be a major pro. I think that the ability to allow students to actively engage with content and one another is a boon to their educational experience, especially online.
But I cannot help but be cautious.....
I never let my students cite wikis for classes. Let's be realistic; inaccuracies exist in these things...prolifically. Sources, such as the minimal sample below:
http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/PRJournal/Documents/2012DiStaso.pdf
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/wikipedia/9211336/Six-out-of-10-Wikipedia-business-entries-contain-factual-errors.html
http://libguides.indstate.edu/wikipedia
(all of which are internet related) discuss the factual mishaps that occur in wikipedia. Sometimes misinformation is published and sometimes the information ends up being out-dated (this is generally not true for wikipedia since they have full-time staff now to help ensure entries are up-to-date). Unfortunately, other wikis who lack wikipedia's manpower are at risk of becoming outdated and error ridden. Ropog (2007) remarked about the Adult Literacy Education Wiki that if the site is to "grow and remain current...it must be updated and checked regularly for content and discussion additions" (p. 170) otherwise it would become outdated and full of errors if its users did not maintain it and keep up with the entries. This seems like a lot of work for something that can change from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day.
While I see the value of a tool to which everyone is able to contribute, I also see the risks. I see it as something students could use to engage with as a means of building a project and using as a thinking tool to flesh out ideas, but I don't see it as more than that.
But I am always open to experimentation, especially in the classroom. The student cohort we are currently experiencing in adult education at the undergraduate level is getting younger (at least younger than me) and most of them are more technologically literate than I am, so I will not toss out the idea of using a wiki; I just want to make sure my students are aware of the great responsibility that comes with creating something that will live on long after the 16-week semester has passed.
I want to consider the questions of my own culpability.
-- What is my continued responsibility as a teacher to ensure course-created wikis stay factual and current once the semester is complete?
--How do I go about such a seemingly daunting task?
--How might I justify unpublishing work that my students worked on (I assume with a great amount of dedication) without it being a discredit to them and their time investment?
References
Ropog, M. M. (2007). Collaborating with Colleagues in Cyberspace. Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal, 1(3), 169-171.
West, J. A., & West, M. L. (2009). Using wikis for online collaboration: The power of the read-write Web. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hi Wendy, I can understand your reluctance. I too was shy to try a Wiki the first time I was forced to use one for a group assignment. I am still not a pro, but I have learned to use them and can see the value when working in a small group. I completely agree with you though, if Wikis are to be utilized in education, strict monitoring by the instructor must be followed. There are simply too many places for error. Information that is accessible to the world wide web must be credible. As you state, it often isn't. Many times we find inconsistencies. When using this type of technology in the classroom, the instructor must be prepared to monitor student collaboration.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn,
DeleteI wish I could say that this wiki project has changed my opinion, but it has not. I did not walk away feeling like I gained any new information. However, I do plan on utilizing one for the course I am teaching this summer, so I will be teaching myself how to construct one over Christmas break. In this way, I will be able to provide my students with structured guidance over the course of the semester.
While I agree with you both that the instructor should help to monitor the use of Wikis in the classroom, as well as the collaboration of students within a group creating a Wiki, I do not believe an instructor should be held responsible for continuing to monitor its accuracies, especially once the class has ended. That is an immensely daunting task, even to think about, especially depending on content. For example, in the world of medicine, treatments and our understanding of diseases changes SO frequently, it takes an insane amount of time to keep up with that material. I believe that it is our responsibility as consumers of information on the internet to be critical of the information we read. That is just good advice no matter what you are learning in life, in general. You should always question what you are told, be sure that the information you are hearing, reading, or seeing is correct. It reminds me of that All-State commercial where the creepy guy meets the girl, says in a horrible French accent that he's a French movie star (and clearly he does not appear to be), and she just smiles, walks away with him, stating "Found him on the Internet; it must be true". I believe it is certainly the instructor's role to teach our students the pitfalls of Wikis in this manner, but to take down the information later or feel solely responsible for updating it, etc seems near-impossible; Not to mention, the student(s) should feel that sense of responsibility to maintain their creation, and update it if they want it to remain accessible to all.
ReplyDeleteKayla,
DeleteWhile I see your point I beg to disagree with it on an ethical level. Students will not generally maintain a piece of classwork once it is created and completed for the course assignment. Now, granted, there are some students who will do so but they are few and far between. Therefore, as an instructor some of the responsibility of ensuring accurate information falls on your shoulders. Even Wikipedia has people who check the site to ensure the information is correct. Furthermore, there are solutions to this issue such as only setting up a wiki on an internal server like KSOL. If you use the technological tools provided by the university then you are able to unpublish the wiki at the end of the course and eliminate any potential ethical downfalls. Just my thoughts and opinions.
I definitely believe Wikis have their place in the classroom, primarily a tool for group projects, course information, and brainstorming. In my opinion, classroom wikis would be better off contained to a private server or password protected so information is only available to particular viewers. This way there is less concern for future Wiki management after course completion. I would also advise my learners to strongly question the credibility of public Wiki information and encourage them to utilize more credible peer reviewed sources for coursework. The way I see it, Wikis are just a tool for collaboration not necessarily a research tool.
ReplyDeleteShandi,
DeleteI completely agree with you!