Task 7: What is a Wiki?

What impressed me the most about the wiki stories was the collaborative aspect. As teachers we try to build that into discussions, lab experiments, and class tone. But a wiki makes it the essence of the experience. Some of the wikis I looked at provided a way for students to add on to a group project. Jennifer Swift's Lit. Class provided a way for students to answer Jennifer's questions in a way that everyone could read and see each other's. Brian Smith's Env. Science Class allowed students to enter definitions, data, etc. into pages Brian set up. Carl's Current World Issues Class provided space for student reports that included photos and links. I also like the variety (including short videos) in Martha and Brian's Class Page, especially the section on "How to Win Friends. All of these seemed to involve more adding to a group effort rather than working toward a common product by editing. I was excited by the description by Vicki Davis Wiki Wiki Teaching. She created something that students then took a made their own. It got me thinking of how I could use a wiki as a collaborative effort. Some ideas that came to mind:
• study guide for a test
• what do you think will be on the test?
• most important issues
• what do you not understand
• a year-long (or month-long) question (when I was teaching Physics I once posed the question, "You are stopped at a red light. You look in the rear view mirror. Another car is speeding toward you from behind. A collision is inevitable. Considering only your personal safety, is it better to keep your foot on the brake or release the brake." Answering this question fully involves considering momentum, kinetic energy, forces, acceleration, and associated laws. I would like to try something like this to see if the class could come up with a single agreed upon answer.
I think that choosing a topic that is open-ended enough to go where students have needs and are interested is the trick.