schools and wikis: a case study

In a case study by Futurelab, a wiki was used to examine the usefulness of the format in a school setting.

Teachers looked for wikis that were:

• free
• were able to be accessed by invited members only
• that included a discussion page
• offering user authentication

In theory it was assumed that a wiki would encourage collaboration through a group writing process. That a wiki was a good way to teach knew knowledge building. That it could be a site of participation that was also a record of a community act. And that it was a authentic activity based on the constructivist view that learning is a social activity.

In the case study it was found that;

• very few students edited others pages, and when one student did it was met with hostility.
• that this refusal to impact on others writing was not seen in visual entries.
• Commenting on visual entries was seen as acceptable and legitimate.
• With visual entries students asked other students for help or advice.
• The studnets saw design as a periphery of school practice with one student stating "Writing's what gets you your grades, not pictures."
• this group focused on the task not on interactive engagement.

Grant, Lindsay (may 2006) Using wikis in schools: a case study.

FutureLab http://rhazen.edublogs.org/files/2008/01/wikis_in_schools_futurelab.pdf