I had the idea that it would be useful when the learners are studying a unit on insects/arachnids/arthropods. They would be able to split into small groups, then contribute to or edit one type of small creature's profile. They could think of ways to describe their small creature and find other pictures to build their wiki page. On reflection, it may be useful to create a separate page for each type of insect that I've listed, so that each group has their own page to play with.
The range of insects would appeal to a wide range of students. The wiki format is great for these information-gathering tasks, because:
- It's easy to contribute and edit information
- It's safe - a wiki can be set up so that memberships need to be approved by a moderator
- Edit history means that changes aren't permanent.
- Visual editor similar to blog means that it is easy to add images and embed video clips.
- collaborative design means that there can be a greater pool of knowledge to draw from.
However there is potential for duplication of ideas, deviations from the structure and accidental deletion or editing of existing text. Also, there is the risk of students encountering inappropriate content when searching for material. With SafeSearch and the internet filters, this should be minimized, but it may be wise for the teacher to compile a list of websites that the students can draw their material from, rather than giving them free rein on the vast plains of the internet.
EDIT: Realized I hadn't given sources for all the images that I used on the wiki. On the other hand, I've linked the images back to their source rather than uploading them from my computer. Fixing sources soon.
- It's easy to contribute and edit information
- It's safe - a wiki can be set up so that memberships need to be approved by a moderator
- Edit history means that changes aren't permanent.
- Visual editor similar to blog means that it is easy to add images and embed video clips.
- collaborative design means that there can be a greater pool of knowledge to draw from.
However there is potential for duplication of ideas, deviations from the structure and accidental deletion or editing of existing text. Also, there is the risk of students encountering inappropriate content when searching for material. With SafeSearch and the internet filters, this should be minimized, but it may be wise for the teacher to compile a list of websites that the students can draw their material from, rather than giving them free rein on the vast plains of the internet.
EDIT: Realized I hadn't given sources for all the images that I used on the wiki. On the other hand, I've linked the images back to their source rather than uploading them from my computer. Fixing sources soon.
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