Preview - Focus Questions - Case Study - Discussion - Links - References
Case Eight
Wikis: Collaborative Publishing or Reason to Plagarize?
Background Information
Among the emerging tools available on today’s Web is the
wiki. A wiki is defined as a collaborative web site with
works created and modified by many different people
(Richardson, 2005). The word wiki comes from a
Hawaiian word for “quick”, in reference to the rapid rate
that wiki articles can change. Wikis were created in 1995
by Ward Cunningham in hopes of encouraging people to write
more through the use of an easy tool in which to publish
their writings (Richardson, 2005).
Perhaps
the most famous wiki thus far is Wikipedia, on online
encyclopedia. Started in 2001, Wikipedia now includes
about one million entries in many different languages
(Hastings, 2005). Wikipedia can be freely edited by
anyone. Although there are some who still question its
integrity, “Wikipedia is generally regarded as a credible,
constantly updated resource.” (Richardson & Mancabelli,
2007, p. 14) Still, there are those in the academic world
who question Wikipedia as a credible resource.
There are
a variety of ways to use wikis in the classroom. Because of
its collaborative nature, a wiki is naturally a good choice
for groups of students to use on various projects. For
example, students can use a wiki to compile lists of
resources, construct a study guide, produce group lab
reports, or write a story (Hastings, 2005). Wikis encourage
active participation by the user. Although there is a
concern regarding the accuracy of wiki entries or the
vulnerability to “vandals” (individuals posting
inappropriate content), the use of password protection has
alleviated some of this concern. Wiki software programs can
also track the changes made to a page so a teacher or
monitor can determine who has made the modifications and
which students have contributed (Stahmer, 2006).
Some teachers who have used wikis in their class have found
the quality of student’s writing has improved. Students
were motivated to produce a quality product because they
knew that others were looking at their published work
(McPherson, 2006). But, because of this expanded audience
beyond the teacher, the temptation to transfer information
found on the Web verbatim to a wiki and claim it as their
own is real. Therefore, another concern with the use of
wikis is plagiarism.
With the
growing use of technology in the classroom, wikis may prove
to be a very useful educational tool. By using a wiki,
students can develop their use of collaborative skills,
learn to be more effective writers, learn to respect one
another’s work, and can learn how to publish content
(Richardson, 2005).
Preview
Among
the emerging tools available on today’s Web is the wiki.
There are a variety of ways to use wikis in the classroom.
Because of its collaborative nature, a wiki is naturally a
good choice for groups of students to use on various
projects. Its use as a classroom tool in providing students
with another method of developing their writing and
collaborative skills is appealing to teachers at all grade
levels. The wiki’s many positive aspects also come with
some concerns, namely its vulnerability to vandals,
determining each student’s participation, and plagiarism.
Focus Questions
As you study the following case, keep these questions in
mind: (1) Do wikis belong in the classroom? (2) Can wikis
assist in developing the writing and collaborative skills in
students? (3) At what grade level are students ready for
wikis?
The Case
A New Approach to
Writing
Miss Tanya Walker, a relatively new Social Studies teacher
at Northville High School, decided to have her students
create a wiki about major figures during World War II.
There were approximately 75 students in her three American
History classes. She divided the students in each class
into groups of four and assigned them a “person.” She
instructed the students to research their person as a group
and write a brief biography with emphasis on their role
during WWII. They were then to place this report, including
a bibliography, on a page in the Wiki that Miss Walker had
created on the Internet.
The students were mostly enthusiastic about this new
assignment. They enjoyed being able to use the computer to
complete an assignment. Each group researched their person
in the library and on the Internet. Then they compiled
their information into a report that was placed on a page in
the wiki. Each student was encouraged to add information or
edit their group’s wiki as they saw fit.
Miss
Walker was pleased, for the most part, with the students’
performance, both in their preparation and their reports.
They knew that they were going to be “published,” so they
wanted to do well. But, she noticed that several of the
reports had used language and grammar that were at a level
above what she had seen previously from her students. She
began to suspect plagiarism had occurred. Upon checking the
references that the students had listed, she did indeed find
evidence of direct passages being used without a citation.
She began to wonder if she had adequately taught the
students how to properly summarize or paraphrase another
person’s work? She decided to review proper summarizing and
paraphrasing techniques with ALL the students. They were
then allowed to edit their work if necessary.
Questions for Discussion
-
Could
Miss Walker have handled the plagiarism situation any
differently?
-
If
wikis are to be used in the classroom, at what grade
level are the students ready?
-
What
can be done to assure that ALL students are involved in
the writing and editing process?
-
What,
if anything, should be done about those students that
plagiarized work? Should Miss Walker have allowed them
to edit their work after she found evidence of
plagiarism, or just given them a “0”?
-
What,
if any, other concerns do you envision with the use of
wikis?
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org
More
‘Reliable’ Wikipedia Soon to Launch
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=6877&page=1
http://www.wikispaces.com
http://pbwiki.com
http://www.seedwiki.com
http://schools.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Main_Page
References
Hastings,
J. (2005). Cool Tools. School Library Journal,
51(9), 42-45.
McPherson,
K. (2006). Wikis and Student Writing. Teacher Librarian,
34(2), 70-72.
Richardson, W. (2005). What’s a Wiki? Multimedia &
Internet @ Schools, 12(6), 17-20.
Richardson, W. & Mancabelli, R. (2007). The Read/Write
Web: New Tools for a New Generation of Technology.
Principal, 86(3), 12-17.
Stahmer, T. (2006). Think
Outside the Blog. Technology & Learning, 26(6),
28-30.
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