Thing # 15 Wikis

Wikis can be used to share and edit information.  A great example was found in the Wikis in Plain English video where a group of friends who are planning a camping trip start a collaborative wiki page in lieu of planning through email.  The campers were able to edit the content of the page to update a list of supplies that was needed and even add links to other pages concerning the trip (in this case, adding a link to suggestive locations).  

Wikipedia is the most popular example of a wiki: this is a giant encyclopedia that is constantly updated.  Educators can also make their own wikis to share information (ranging from how to to best practices wikis).  

After exploring wikis, we were asked to edit content on the 23 Things Sandbox Wiki (the sandbox is usually the play area of the wiki).  I found this wiki to be extremely cluttered and confusing.  There were overwhelming amounts of unorganized information on the page.  I was not able to edit the content (it was currently being used and locked).   Trying to orient myself on the site, I saw a sidebar under "Recent Activity" that showed a "New Page 2011" had just been created.  This new page was a breath of fresh air (completely blank) and I decided it would be the appropriate place to add my content.  I pulled some stuff from my blog about flowcharts and mind maps and created a section titled "Uses for Flowcharts and Mind Maps in the Art Classroom."  

I understand that this particular wiki was a bit cluttered and unorganized simply because it was created as a learning tool for us to explore editing content.  In looking at other wikis, like "Library Success: a best practices wiki," I see that they can be very useful for accessing information that is constantly up to date and added to.  Having a classroom wiki is another good idea.  This could include a calender, note, projects, discussion, that could be accessed and added to by students.