Wiki Forum is an example of online platforms that facilitates exchange of ideas by collaborating writings of teachers and students. It is an online platform that empowers users to write articles, to change or to add information onto these articles from time to time.
Implementation
Teachers may refer to the following tips if they would like to incorporate wiki into their courses of teaching.
Teachers should introduce to students an initial seed idea that is consistent with the objective of a curriculum that assists students in realizing the advantages of web activities;
The learning environment of wiki should not be too complex that inhibits students from achieving on a particular learning objective. Problems should be designed within the appropriate range of difficulty that optimizes the degree of engagement among students.
Teachers may begin by asking students to familiarize themselves with different types of online task (e.g. searching for information, communication, etc). Pre-practice facilitates understanding and active engagement in real attempts.
Teachers should design activities that are of low complexity, which facilitate acceptance of the practice and allow the seed idea to be evolved into student-based control of the learning environment. Besides, activities of minimal complexity enable students in show-casing their creativity, leveraging the relative advantage of eLearning activities in comparison with the traditional classroom, which in turn enhance the degree of engagement among students.
Extended readings
Read more about the use of wiki in education by clicking onto one of the websites below:
Using Wiki as course discussion platform.
The Faculty of Engineering adopted wiki as the mode of teaching among postgraduate students. In addition, wiki serves as a platform which facilitates group discussions.
Group writing using wiki. Students collaborate and use wiki to research and write-up articles. Students were graded based on incremental improvement in wiki articles. Please click onto the link below for more information, Using Wikis in the planning of Economics course – HKU. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.econ.hku.hk/outline2007-08/econ0707.pdf
Online publications that really go to the public. Wikis - to collaborate in collecting/analysing real news stories – e.g. Journalism students contributed to website on Asian Tsunami, 2004. This is an example of collaborative writing. Please click onto the link below for more information, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami – Wiki. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake
Using Wiki as course discussion platform.