Have wikis gotten bad press or are they bad? this is a question for many. I know that at first librarian’s were dead set against them but it seems, many, have taken a turn around.

Wikipedia seems pretty right on to me. For wikis to be effective in the classroom, I think as educators we will need to present them very carefully. We will need to show good wikis and bad wikis. I would want students to use them to refine and hone knowledge on specific topics. I would want students to self-correct themselves if they post inaccurate information. I would want their classmates and teachers point out and correct inaccurate information. Students will need to understand as in all information posted to the Internet the source is always a good way to determine accuracy of information and bias.

I think teachers can use wikis for baseline knowledge…like KWL charts. They can establish what students know and what it is we want to learn. As learning happens, students can post to their wikis about what they now know. The wiki can be the work in progress. As the learning scaffolds so does the wiki.

I for one support them as a way for students to collaborate. I have watched them at work in one of our 7th grade classrooms and find the students make greater efforts in the researching and writing to present information factually and with better composition.

One thing we know for certain is that our students need to improve their non-fiction writing. I cannot think of a better way to inspire them to improve this skill.