Wikis

Teacher's First provides a very concise and helpful overview of wikis. Essentially, a wiki is a website that allows people to actively contribute and edit the content. It is very helpful when collaborating with multiple people. Perhaps the most famous example of a wiki is the popular encyclopedia website, Wikipedia. 

Wikis are used by a variety of people in the world outside of K-12 teaching. Some common examples include conveying data for a project, sharing family information and photos, travel journals, and more.

I often run across wikis when googling information about shows or characters. I often stumble across fan-made wiki pages that chronicle the history and relationships of the show's characters. Currently colleges and universities are using wikis much more prevalently than K-12 classes. However, they have been helpful by connecting parents in K-12 curriculum. 

Blogs and Wikis do have some similarities, but blogs are much individually focused, whereas wikis are great for collaborative works. Users can comment on blogs, but they can't change the actual original content like they could with a wiki. 

Wikis have a variety of uses, some of these include:

1.  "What Might Be on the Test Wiki" I think this is a great idea for any grade level. This could help with chapter tests or a final exam. Students can post content that they think is especially significant throughout the year or semester, so when the test date approaches, they have a much more comprehensive view of what they've learned. This has the potential to be led and done independently by the students, but I could also picture myself posting broad topics and subjects and then allowing the students to fill it in as they go. 
2. Vocabulary lists: This would be especially helpful in my Secondary English content area-- it is similar to the idea of the "What Might be on the Test Wiki," in the fact that it's a comprehensive list, but this would be specifically for vocabulary. Students can add their vocabulary words throughout the semester, and give the definitions and examples in a second. This could prepare for various vocab tests or for a specific cumulative vocabulary exam.
3. Continuing story: This is a very creative and interesting idea for English teachers. It plays on the game where a group goes around in a circle, each saying a new sentence to form a creative and interesting story. The students could do this to help creative writing skills, but it would also be a great way to tie in the use of classroom vocabulary.

Wikis are very interesting platforms for education because they provide a way to collaborate outside of the classroom while still giving the teacher some control over the content.