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Peggy and the Wiki

I do not define myself as a technophobe; however, I do confess that learning about and utilizing new technology in the classroom, generally, creates some anxiety for me.  This was certainly true as I learned about and began to implement the wiki in the course I team taught with Suzanne Sanders-Betzold at DePaul University and Wright College.  Although the literature review I completed earlier led me to believe using a wiki in the classroom would be transformative, I actually had few expectations and really only one or two hopes; 1) that my learning curve would stay ahead of the students’ and; 2) we would see at least a few of the benefits of using wikis that the current research suggests.

The good news on both counts is my learning curve did stay ahead of our students’ and we did experience benefits from using the wiki-–especially related to collaboration and social interaction as cited in James (2004) and community building as cited in Farabaugh (2007).

For me, learning to use and work with the wiki was challenging at times.  I use Blackboard quite a bit in other courses.  I am comfortable with it and have had rewarding experiences using it as a teaching and learning tool.  Perhaps my familiarity with Blackboard contributed to some initial resistance to using the wiki.  However, in the beginning, as Suzanne and I experimented with its use, increased familiarity bred increased interest in me and also discernibly in our students.   Although, as my colleagues have mentioned elsewhere in this document, Suzanne and I did not have any breakthrough experiences equal to those referred to in the current research.

Our wiki reflected student involvement in different ways.  Understandably, some were more adventurous and engaged while others were more reserved and reluctant.  A contributing factor may have been each student’s own comfort level with and knowledge of the technology.  Right after the first class meeting one student began her own page on the wiki and invited fellow classmates to join her in an online chat.  Another student used the wiki to arrange a car pool to an off campus event.  And, others uploaded avatars further personalizing the site and their ownership of it.  These types of interactions on the wiki seemed to contribute to community building in our classroom as noted by Farabaugh (2007). 

After we began the collaborative project, which relied heavily on the wiki, Suzanne and I noticed an increase in how group members interacted with each other.  They began to tease and joke with each other.  Group members sat with or near each other when they were not asked by Suzanne or me to do so.  They brought and shared small snacks to class.   This was noticeable when compared to behavior earlier in the term. This experience was extended as students worked in their groups on the collaborative assignment.  The students’ brainstorming, analysis and processing were made more visible and transparent on the wiki.  Suzanne and I were able to see the development of each group’s project; when they were engaged with the process, the learning and each other--and when they were not.

As the project unfolded, one or two students were vulnerable enough to show the messiness of their own thinking, brainstorming and writing on the wiki. As suggested by Garza, Loudermilk and Hern (2007) this could be a key to more powerful learning.  While it is impossible to know how other students interpreted that messiness it seemed to free up one or two other group members to post their own muddled  thought processes--especially early on when they were working on topic ideas and development.

Overall, the wiki worked well in our classes.  The tool is accessible and flexible as most current research suggests.  However, it is still just a tool and it may only be as good as the course design and wiki-specific assignments are.  So far, wikis have not earned the praise given them in the literature.