BP5_Wikispaces

The new Web 2.o tool that I found interesting to use in my environment is Wikispaces.com.  Using the concept of wiki’s has allowed for the integration of individuals into a team concept.  In a video recently, I heard the quote of,” nobody is smarter than everyone.”  I think this is true tremendously.  Wiki’s give you the opportunity to put everyone’s thoughts into play; but how does that happen?  In essence, a Wiki is a webpage that allows anyone the ability to manipulate the content.   The reason that is important is the fact that many can contribute to the particular subject at hand.  How can you contribute?  Well you can contribute with text, links, videos, audios, and pretty much any content that can be converter to embed into html.  For starters, you can introduce a concept or topic that can be viewed by students.   Students can easily add different variables to the Wiki page that can build on the learning of that particular subject, which means that introducing this element would create a bit of ownership for the class and the individual students.  Monitoring a site like this is made easy, so you can concentrate on the participation aspect of the site, as well as monitor the value of the information.  Students are attracted to empowerment, and this Web 2.0 tool would certainly provide such a thing.  As for the information, the ability to teach students to be resourceful with information would have to serve as a pre-requisite for the functional use of a Wiki.  The reason the latter must hold true is we want to make sure that the information posted on the Wiki has value in learning.  The most important factor I see about a Wiki introduce into my class is the ability to initiate lifelong learning skills for the students; because students feel compelled to add to a page that their peers are participating in, the research and evaluation of students are thorough, and are tremendously refined as students participate within the Wiki.   What the Wiki also offers is the ability to create an informal atmosphere.  What educators have learned throughout the years is that informal education overwhelms formal education, thus creating an informal atmosphere may cultivate success through informal but effective strategies.  What do y’all think?