wiki potential...

I think the picture above is a good metaphor in understanding the student collaborative projects. I have used wikis for for project-based learning in the IT programme that I am currently teaching. Of course, the advantage of Wikis in collaborative projects is that they are online. Students with access to the Internet outside of school could work together to complete projects without having to be in school. The challenges, however, I found was in defining roles and clearly defining the activity, along with assessments because I think they are crucial to the success of collaborative learning projects using this strategy.

Another interesting use of Wikis is for the demonstration of students' Knowledge. Students provide information on the Wiki to demonstrate what they have learned. One page is designated for each letter of the alphabet and students submit written work and pictures (citing sources) to explain what they just learned in, say, any subject area that teacher specifies.

To begin with, I used Wiki as a Filing Cabinet. I used it to store files, images, videos, and other information in a special teacher access controlled area of the classroom Wiki. One advantage is that I could enter the information anytime and from anywhere using the Internet. This is great for weekends or over the summer when I could not have access to the intranet of the college. Other examples of information that can be stored in a teacher’s Wiki filing cabinet are information for upcoming newsletters, artifacts of student work, drafts of projects being developed, everyday life in the classroom for a scrapbook, and backup resources.