Wikillerato

Wikis are a form of collaborative work currently in fashion on the Internet. One of the most visited web portals in the world is “Wikipedia”: an encyclopedia generated by its very own users which currently has more than a million entries in English alone.

But, what is the purpose of a Wiki? And above all, what use can it serve in a school environment?

The features of a Wiki are simple to describe and are all oriented towards facilitating the consulting and managing of information by its users. To that end:

• Users may look up information via searches or by means of a directory
• Users may create new entries.
• Users may freely modify stored information
• A modifications history is stored to avoid content being “vandalised” and so that the process of information refinement may be tracked.
• All modifications are conveniently documented: who made them and when.
• Moderators may be associated with “closed sections” to filter the modifications for their subsequent incorporation on to the database.

Their utility in an educational environment is evident as a Wiki acts as an information repository adequately structured for quick reference. However, it is also true that it is not always easy to obtain the collaboration of the interested parties, in this case, the students and professors. To awaken this interest and facilitate the launch of the project we put the following proposition to EducaRed:

• Contribute initial information which makes the application useful from its launch
• Incorporate moderators who optimise the available resources
• Integration with other EducaRed content (for example, with links to the Selectivity course problems).
• Public recognition of those professors who contribute the most information