Google Applications: Google Wiki

Google Wiki is a simple and easy wiki in which to create, edit, and add information. The simplicity of page development, the ease of collaborative efforts by users, and the numerous uses make creating a Google wiki an attractive addition to a classroom.

What I love about Google wikis, aside from the concept of a wiki itself, is the ease of use. Creating and editing pages is simple. If students understand the basics of a word processor, they should have very few problems in editing pages. Also, there is a feature that allows users to embed Google docs into the page. When the docs are edited in the Google docs applications, they are automatically updated in Google wiki. Also, it is simple to add video, images, links, and numerous other gadgets that have been created.

There are areas where I thought that specific improvements could be made to aid in the ease of classroom use. First, when creating a site to begin with, I had to choose from a list of templates that were provided. The template itself was a replication of another wiki, and instead of just being a simple outline, it was quite extensive. I needed to go through and delete just about every table, unneeded page, image, etc before I really began my own creation. It was a hassle, and I wish that there were simpler template designs (and maybe there are, but I just didn't find them). I also didn't think that there were enough attractive template designs to choose from. Also, as a teacher, I would like to have the ability to see who has subscribed to the site and which pages they have subscribed to, but I wasn't able to find that as an option.

The following knowledge & skills would be needed for students to effectively use a Google wiki:
Knowledge about the use of Google docs would be helpful depending on the assignment or project
* An understanding of the basics of using a word processor, as page creation closely resembles creating word documents
* Knowledge concerning netiquette
* Ability to insert links and images
* An understanding of how to navigate in the site itself and to be able to avoid deleting others’ pages or information.
* A clear knowledge of what is and isn’t appropriate to edit, and how they know when they can and can’t do so
* They would need to learn the basics of how to create, edit, and save a page, and also how to add it to the navigation column and where to put it

Google wiki can easily be shared with others, however, the ability to share is only available to the owners of the wiki. The owner would just need to access the site management area and click on "sharing." They can then send an invitation to anyone to either own, collaborate, or view the wiki. In addition, however, in order for one to become a member of the wiki, they need to have a Google account created (or easily create one at the time).

Google wikis could be used to aid in the instruction of any subject matter where students have the opportunity to collaborate with one another. For instance, Google wikis could be used in an upper elementary school classroom in Language Arts. Students could conduct a book club by reading a book and then responding to questions and others’ ideas in the wiki. Students could also use it to piece together an online newspaper for their school or classroom.

By its nature, a wiki is collaborative, so it would be very easy to incorporate collaborative efforts. Students could be encouraged to work together to create any project that would normally be a group effort, and even some assignments that would normally be done individually. Here’s a list of some ideas that I’ve come up with so far: Individual students researching together for a specific subject (like a science fair project), students adding Google presentations that they have worked on in smaller groups on different wiki pages to have the entire class’ presentations in one area, students could create study guides for tests and use what others have included to help fill in gaps where they need better understanding, students could create a class encyclopedia together, etc.

A class wiki would need to be monitored daily to ensure that the application was being utilized appropriately. As a teacher, I would probably make the wiki less accessible by the public, in order to ensure the privacy of my students. Further, students would need to be generally monitored to have help and questions answered as they are creating their wiki. This is especially the case the first couple of times they are working with them, or with the younger grades in particular.

As an educator, I am very excited about the prospect of incorporating Google wiki into my classroom. I think that there is so much potential for collaborative learning to take place, and even for the students' creative ideas to be explored through this application. The benefits and uses are only limited by the imaginations of its users.