What+is+a+Wiki?

Title: What Is “Wiki”?  __Introduction __   There are many innovative technologies that are designed to improve student’s writing skills through collaborative writings. Wikis are the newest tool in technology that can help students by collaborating, sharing, and creating new knowledge about any subject. They are simple webpages that allow students to access information from anywhere in the world and work on the same document. It can be a great tool for encouraging project-based learning. Notably, the impact of Wikis is enormous; however there are some issues and implications that educators should focus on in their classrooms. Nevertheless, the future of wikis has expanded from elementary school level to higher education learning. __Impact on Education __  Wikis have a positive impact on education in many ways. Its functions range from the classroom, to professional development and the administrative uses. Specifically, Wikis can be used in the classroom for solving problems, analyzing group laboratory reports, writing projects. This function increases student engagement and participation which facilitate positive communication between students and teachers. The initial goal is that each student brings a new skill or knowledge that can be used to enhance the student’s knowledge about a particular subject or topic. In addition, students are more conscious about others viewing their information so they are more apt to revise and organize their information. Because of their simplicity that can be used for any type of collaborative project. It is an innovative way to reach all students from anywhere in the world (Yan, 29-30). __Issues and Implications __ Wikis are a valuable collaborative tool in the classroom; however, there are several factors concerning Wikis. One is that teachers should have a tracking tool to view edits and comments and identify any inappropriate posts so they are able to rectify the problem. If the problem occurs anyone can make changes to the content and post inappropriate contents on the wiki page. Secondly, there is always a problem when students are doing collaborative work that one student completes all the work. It is suggested that teachers use the wiki history feature to acknowledge each student’s total contribution (Ferris and Wilder, 4-8). __The Future __  Wikis of the future will integrate into other areas outside of the classroom. For example, Wikis could be used for planning workshops or conferences. This is task is arranged by having trainers attach documents and other resources before the workshop and the post their own notes during the event. Later, participants reflect about the information learned. Furthermore, school administrators can implement wikis for teachers and staff to create and edit school policy forms and documents.  Consequently, the future will allow other collaborative software such as online chat, bulletin boards, and forum to integrate with wikis.    <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> __<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Web Resources or Journal Sources __ <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Ferris and Wilder (2008). __Uses and Potentials of Wikis in the Classroom__. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">[]. Retrieved on March 18, 2011. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jakes, David (2006). __Wild about Wikis__. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[]. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Retrieved on March 18, 2011. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Yan, Jeffrey (2008 ) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> __Social Technology as a New Medium in the Classroom__. New <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> England Journal of Higher Education; v22 n4 p27, 29-30 <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">