Wiki technology provides opportunities for collaboration around a common topic or subject with unlimited individuals contributing to a page. While wikis such as Wikipedia have been criticized by some as unreliable, many others see the potential of this addition to the Web 2.0. Anyone can edit it and contribute their own knowledge to a wiki. Some argue that wikis allow contributors to add whatever they want, right or wrong, the beauty is that another contributor can correct it. Wikis are self-policing.
Science has been doing this for quite awhile although not as streamlined and accessible as a wiki. When a research article is published in a journal such as “Nature”, the methods and results are published so that other scientists can recreate the experiment to check its validity. An experiment’s conclusions are invalid if they cannot be replicated. This is a foundational component of science. Bad research is quickly identified and good research is validated and usually improved.
A purpose of the classroom is to prepare students for the work force. Students who want to enter a scientific field need to gain experience having their work critiqued by others. A wiki would allow students to post their results from an experiment and have other students try to replicate their experiment. A discussion could then begin between the two groups about necessary changes to the experiment.
Wikis can also be useful for teachers. I found this wiki using a quick Google search for “physics wiki”. It provides teachers with labs for different physics units. Teachers can discuss what worked in the lab, how they changed it, and how to extend it.
As our world becomes smaller, collaboration is going to play a larger role in our jobs. We will not only be working together with people in the same building but across the world. Wikis provide students with the opportunity to practice the skills necessary to be a contributing member of the global community. They have to be responsible for the content they put up and thoughtful about the feedback they provide to others. This is a skill we can begin developing in schools using wikis.
Posted by ryanewest 
