Why Wikis?

This article discusses how Wiki tools can be used in the collaborative writing process. Author Ruth Reynard says that students must “not only understand what they hear, read, experience, or do in a class, but must also incorporate that into their own structures of knowing so that it is recalled and applied in relevant situations.”

She says that, in collaborative writing, students who participate in a Wiki, experience maximized writing that depends on the participation of several for its completion or success. When they participate in a Wiki, they learn about the benefits and how to manage the efforts of multiple authors. They learn skills which include establishing an agenda or goal, identifying writing tasks and dividing those tasks among group members, tracking individual ideas, and defining rules for document management by identifying roles for group members.

This is a good article to gain an understanding of how to use a Wiki in an educational writing situation. Reynard talks about how the collaborative writing process teaches students about task division, brainstorming, editing, revising and goal setting. This article can be accessed by typing: http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2009/02/04Why-Wikis.aspx?p=1. Ruth Reynard is the dean of faculty services for Career Education Corp. and can be reached at: rreynard@careered.com.