As I was looking for an "official" definition for 'wiki', I searched dictionary.com to see what they had to say. What I found were three definitions, one related to the geographical origins of the word wiki, another defining the 'quick' aspect of a wiki and a third that I thought was perfect for sharing with teachers!
Any collaborative website that users can easily modify via the web, typically without restriction. A wiki allows anyone, using a web browser, to edit, delete or modify content that has been placed on the site, including the work of other authors. This has been found to work surprisingly well since contributors tend to be more numerous and persistent than vandals and old versions of pages are always available.
It has been my experience that the majority of teachers hear the word 'wiki', their brains think 'WIKIpedia' and then it shuts down. These teachers don't seem to think it's valuable for students, or anyone for that matter, to be able to "edit, delete or modify content" of others online. I'm guessing this is because they're stuck in the textbook mindset of 'don't write in the book, don't tear out the pages, don't vandalize the written word'. This is where I thought the last line of the above definition may help sell the idea of wikis to teachers and set them on the path toward changing this mindset.
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References:
wiki. (n.d.). The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wiki
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