Wikis and Collaborative Inquiry

• Published in: School Library Media Activities Monthly Vol. 25; no. 8; pp. 48 - 51
• Main Authors: Lamb, Annette, Johnson, Larry
• Format: Journal Article Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Baltimore Libraries Unlimited 01.04.2009; Libraries Unlimited, Inc
• Subjects: American Civil War; Authentic Learning; Civil war; Class Activities; Community Programs; Community Relations; Cooperative Learning; Editing; Electronic Publishing; Elementary Education; Elementary Schools; Grade 5; Grade 6; Group Activities; Information Seeking; Inquiry; Intermediate Grades; Internet; Language Arts; Learner Engagement; Learning; Learning Experience; Media Specialists; Mythology; Nominations; Oral History; Parents; Political parties; School libraries; Social Networks; Social Studies; Students; Teamwork; Technology Uses in Education; Web Sites; Young adults
• ISSN: 0889-9371

Wikis are simply Web sites that provide easy-to-use tools for creating, editing, and sharing digital documents, images, and media files. Multiple participants can enter, submit, manage, and update a single Web workspace creating a community of authors and editors. Wiki projects help young people shift from being "consumers" of the Internet to creators on the Web. Wikis are effective in promoting collaborative learning within classes, between classes, among schools, with parents, and with communities. Wikis involve learners in asking increasingly sophisticated questions about a topic. (Contains 5 figures.)