Advantages of Wikis
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Disadvantages of Wikis
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· Free wiki software available. Easy to create an account and make wiki.
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· No large amount of technical knowledge is required
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Can be uncomfortable to use unfamiliar software1
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· Have access to wiki after the class officially ends
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Possibilities of vandalism, but can be helped by password access and review of old versions.
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· Promotes creativity (goes beyond a plain text essay –includes multimedia)1
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Difficult to authenticate the source and the qualifications of writers unless its ability to edit is controlled
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· In touch and interested in what other students write1
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Technical support may be limited to your wiki provider (University IT services may not be able to troubleshoot)
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· All team members can have access to the wiki anytime anywhere3
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Can possibly be time consuming for the teacher to set up (if they intend on first posting a lot of original data to get the site up)1
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· Have future classes expand the same wiki, creating a research center of information2
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If relying on free wiki software, the company could discontinue the service or start charging
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· Sense of ownership1
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Plagiarism and copyright issues; be sure everything is cited that is written by you and be wary that outsiders can steal what you’ve created3
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· Greater attention to work because anyone can read entries1
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If outsiders can add entries, you may want to monitor the wiki
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· Expression of ideas however long or short they may be, and whenever they occur1
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Easy to drastically change content from original form
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· Easy to share information; don’t have to send files over e-mail3
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Overwhelming for teacher to grade if too many entries (tell students what assignments will be graded to combat this)1
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· Students get a sense of responsibility1
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· Everybody is working on the same document; no need to keep track of different versions3
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· Previous versions can be recovered if there is a need for it3
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· Great as shared online sketchpads4
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· Online space for brainstorming4
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· Perfect for creating perpetually updated lists or collections of links4
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Easy for users to grasp utility as informal bulletin boards4
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References for this chart:
1=http://www.bowdoin.edu/news/archives/english/000021.shtml
2=http://socialjustice.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/index.php/Main_Page
3=http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Wikis_in_Online_Education
4=http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0452.asp?bhcp=1
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