Month: November 2005

Wiki is not a new technology; many of us, if not all, have been using Wikipedia as a rich source of information. How this emerging tool’s potential can be harnessed for our classrooms is a question we will all ask.
This article by Ren�e Fountain gave some thoughts into the use of wikis for pedagogical purposes. The abstract is as follows:

This article endeavours to denote and promote pedagogical experimentations concerning a Free/Open technology called a “Wiki”. An intensely simple, accessible and collaborative hypertext tool Wiki software challenges and complexifies traditional notions of – as well as access to – authorship, editing, and publishing. Usurping official authorizing practices in the public domain poses fundamental – if not radical – questions for both academic theory and pedagogical practice.
The particular pedagogical challenge is one of control: wikis work most effectively when students can assert meaningful autonomy over the process. This involves not just adjusting the technical configuration and delivery; it involves challenging the social norms and practices of the course as well (Lamb, 2004). Enacting such horizontal knowledge assemblages in higher education practices could evoke a return towards and an instance upon the making of impossible public goods� (Ciffolilli, 2003).

Access the full article here or here.