Students are, increasingly, digital content producers, and participate extensively in evolving online social networks (Alexander, 2006, Abstract). Currently, many teachers are seeking to establish interactive environments in which technology, such as Wikis, is used to support and enhance collaborative learning processes (Wheeler et al, 2008). Wikis allow users to add and edit content, and also to weigh in with their own commentary via the “Discussion” link. A good example of this is the High School Online Collaborative Writing Wiki. As suggested by Beldarrain, wikis may afford more learner control, and thus may be more effective at delivering instructional strategies that support knowledge construction (Beldarrain, 2006, Emerging Technologies section, ¶12).
Social constructivists maintain that learning should be student-centered. Wikis, in particular, actively involve learners in their own construction of knowledge (Boulos, Maramba, and Wheeler ,2006, Discussion section, ¶2). As Daalsgard notes, social software tools such as Wikis can support a social constructivist approach by providing students with personal tools and engaging them in social networks (Daalsgard, 2006, Introduction section, ¶2). There is evidence to support the belief that user-created content software in particular encourages deeper engagement with learning through the act of authoring (Wheeler et al, 2008, Introduction section, ¶1). For the students, this makes the learning process more satisfying because of the element of active engagement with others (Wheeler et al, 2008, Introduction section, ¶1). Students now see that they are not just writing for themselves and the teacher, but for a much wider audience. As Alexander (2008) states, writing for a larger, potentially global audience is “a powerful stimulus for questioning personal identity, representing oneself through writing, and understanding an audience.” There is also the added benefit that larger audiences often encourage students to be more accurate in their construction of wiki pages (Wheeler et al, 2008, Folksonomies section, ¶1).
The implementation of these newer technologies is not without issues. Doubt hangs over the concept of student created content and whether it will ever be legitimized by the traditional education establishment (Wheeler et al, 2008, Architecture of Participation section, ¶2). However, Richardson (2006) claims that "early implementations of wikis in educational settings have shown that the more autonomy teachers give to students in terms of negotiating the scope and quality of the content they are creating, the better" (Richardson, 2006, p. 65). There are no guarantees for accuracy on a wiki, although a recent survey conducted through the journal Nature found that Wikipedia is… at least as accurate as Encyclopaedia Britannica (Terdiman, 2006, cited in Wheeler,2008, Architecture of Participation section, ¶1).
In conclusion, while Wiki’s are not without certain drawbacks, mainly in regard to the user generated nature of the wiki and the potential problems associated with it. However, the use of Wikis allows students to construct their own knowledge as a result of interacting with others in their environment. Wikis can provide individual interactivity, collaborative learning, cognitive tools, authenticity, and more; all constructive learning elements. (Seitzinger, 2006, Constructive Wiki section, ¶1).
References
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Alexander, Bryan (2006). Web 2.0: A new wave of innovation for teaching and learning?
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Palincsar, A.S. (1998). Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching and Learning. Annual Review of Psychology, 49(345-375). Retrieved February 2009 from http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.psych.49.1.345
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Schwartz, L., Clark, S., Cossarin, M. & Rudolph, J. (2004). Educational wikis: Features and selection criteria. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5(1). Retrieved February, 2009, from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/163/692
Seitzinger, J. (2006). Be constructive: Blogs, podcasts, and wikis as constructivist learning tools. Learning Solutions e-Magazine. Retrieved February, 2009, from
http://www.elearningguild.com/pdf/2/073106DES.pdf
Wheeler, Steve; Yeomans, Peter; Wheeler, Dawn (2008). The good, the bad and the wiki: Evaluating student-generated content for collaborative learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(6) p987-995.
Vratulis, Vetta; Dobson, Teresa M. (2008). Social Negotiations in a Wiki Environment: A Case Study with Pre-Service Teachers. Educational Media International, 45(4) p285-294. http://pdfserve.informaworld.com/645582_770885140_906807974.pdf
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