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Wiki is an online application that allows users to contribute to or edit its content. Meaning “quick” in the Hawaiian language, wiki is a creative and open environment where everyone has a voice. The significance of wiki lies in the fact that there is no assigned “leader” or “head writer”.

The founder of wiki, Ward Cunningham, described his creation as “the simplest online database that could possibly work”. And it did.

Yet what makes wiki so unique (in most cases anyone can add or change content on a wiki website) has also given it a bad reputation among most educators. Wikipedia, for example, is the most commonly known wiki website and is often blacklisted by educators as a credible reference.

Incorporating wiki into the classroom provides a very different kind of online experience for your students. Essentially, you put them in the driver’s seat.

By giving students more control over a project’s outcome, you are encouraging them to be producers, rather than just consumers, of information. This reversal of roles ultimately helps student master content.

On the road to effective use of wiki in the classroom, your first step is to find a wiki site suitable for you and your students.

Check out this short video by YouTube user Vanessa Van Edwards for a short overview of what a wiki is and how it can be a beneficial educational tool for teachers.

The Top 3 Wiki Sites For Teachers

Wikispaces.com Designed specifically for use in the classroom, wikispaces is a social writing platform that also acts as a classroom management tool by keeping teacher and students organized and on task. Not only does this site provide easy to use templates, it’s free and also has a variety of assessment tools. Teachers can also use wikispaces to create assignments and share resources. Wikidot.com At its most basic level, this website is free to users. Some of its features include easy to use website templates with unlimited pages, free web hosting and domain name, control over ads, and the chance to earn some money with ads, which can be used for the next class trip. Pbworks.com With over 300,000 education based workspaces, this wiki-like website offers educators a range of options that encourage student-centered learning. Students can build web sites or web pages that can be shared with other students and staff.