Mackey, Allison
Augar, N., Raitman, R. & Zhou, W. (2004). Teaching and learning online with
wikis. Beyond the Comfort Zone. Paper presented at The 21st ASCILITE Conference, Perth,
5-8 December, Perth, Australia, 5-8 December (pp. 95-104). Retrieved from http://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30005482/zhou-teachingandlearning-2004.pdf
Summary: This article outlines the collaborative use of online wikis, websites which can be edited by everyone. Examples of successful wiki projects are given to demonstrate the functionality of this kind of collaborative tool. The articles hows how wikis are especially useful in online learning environments, because they can help overcome barriers created by distance and the lack of face-to-face interaction.
Evaluation: The article is a very good description of wikis, and even people who have used wikis may benefit from reading it, because it does outline some uses of wikis that may be new. One example of this is using wikis as an icebreaker tool. The authors describe another use of a wiki that I hadn't heard of-- in place of an online discussion forum, which is often lacking in student activity. This paper shows how wikis can bring together people in places all over the world to create a single, collaborative space for writing and piecing together a document. Even hundreds of people can be involved in one project--amazing!
We used a Wiki in my reference class and it was great because we were able to learn about different reference sources without having to go through each one individually. We signed up for two that we liked in each category and we described them. It was a wonderful learning experience!
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