A wiki is “a website that provides collaborative modification of its content and structure directly from the web browser.” That definition is very basic, but some of the more specific characteristics are that they are searchable, promote associations to related topics and subjects, and are intended to invite input, collaboration, and expansion not from experts, but from its users in an ongoing and continuous process of growth. I feel that wikis are incredibly powerful and valuable learning tools for a number of reasons.

First, Wikipedia has a wonderful effect where learners can easily “fall down the rabbit hole” so to speak, which I believe caters to a knowledge society in providing a structure for potentially unending learning. If someone is interested in learning about volcanoes, they can examine a page that features more than thirty images, references to over 40 resources, in addition to bountiful information curated by countless learners on a continuously refined over years of time. Each section contains links to related topics, so if one didn’t understand what tectonic plates were, they could quickly gain as much of an understanding as they’d like by following that link.

By nature, wikis are user-editable and collaborative. Through this process, different perspectives emerge to create a broader and clearer picture. by virtue, the information that is most relevant rises to the top to survive. This is a fantastic example of Crowdsourcing, as mentioned in the videos by Dr. Cope, where essentially, peers are not only reviewing that first draft, but potentially hundreds or thousands of additional drafts.

Wikis also add the benefit of living in the “no failure paradigm,” where learners are creators, and gradually everyone becomes “as good as good is supposed to be” through the process of developing the content and reviewing the work of their peers. Indeed, project based learning can be facilitated beautifully through a school curriculum where science students could be asked to build a wiki on thunderstorms, with additional pages being created organically on subjects as diverse as wind, water, geography, and electricity. 

Finally, Wikis provide an edit history and therefore an impressive ability to audit the contributions our learners are providing. As educators, we can use this data for summative and formative assessment, by setting clear guidelines and goals and reviewing both the quantity of and quality of the contributions our learners make. The added social benefit of peer revisions helps to develop soft skills through negotiating on agreements over how to communicate an idea on the wiki. Through this system, we can provide feedback both actively and passively through a comprehensive dashboard.

In conclusion, much can be gained by using this technology as a learning tool not just in terms of knowledge coming in to our learners, but passing through them. Wikis are one of many ways for learners to participate in active knowledge making and leverage collaborative intelligence to create greater depths of knowledge.