All about Wikis

When I first thought about Wikis I immediately thought about Wikipedia and how I have often been told not to use it. I too warned my students about the dangers of using wikis because people can easily edit the information posted. After reading Richardson's book I began to see the benefit of wikis within the classroom. I think the most powerful way to use them would be to have students create their own wikis about a topic they were passionate about. I think this would be a really powerful way to show students how they have the power to create wikis for others to use. The authenticity of having them create their own wikis would be very motivating for my students. Since my students are considered a very "me" generation, I think having them create their own wiki would be great. I also think it is a good way of teaching students about netiquette and the power of making good choices online. We could talk about how posting false or misleading information could be harmful to others and to the reputation of their wiki. I think by having students create wikis teachers would be able to teach academic, social, and technological skills together.