ch. 4 – wikis
June 14, 2009
. . . this chapter of Will Richardson’s book is full of tons of info that is so clearly stated. he really breaks it down and and offers lots of different options for where to start if you wanna begin building a wiki.
i’m using a wiki right now in my 6100 EDUC class. it’s for us to watch video’s related to the topics we discuss in class. we then comment (is it still considered blogging when it’s on a wiki?) on the video’s right there on the wiki.
i’m not completely sure what i think about everyone having editorial power on a wiki. some part of me thinks it’s wonderful cause, after all these years, two (or more) heads still tend to be better than just one–each person being able to bring the little bit he or she has to offer to the table. it’s kind of beautiful, actually. and probably far closer to being accurate than any one person’s ideas alone.
but it just seems chaotic–the thought of whomever wants to change something continually changing something. when does it ever stop? when is it ever just truth?
in closing, i have to say that my favorite thing i learned about wikis is that the name comes from the Hawaiian word wiki-wiki. you’ll have to click here to find out what the word means. . . and to bring it full circle, i’m sending you to Wikipedia for the answer 
So totally did not know Wiki was Hawaiian. I love learning new little facts, thanks!
What is “truth”? Who decides? Who gets that power? Wikis invite collaboration, discussion, and sorting out ideas as a community…and you’re right, this can be a messy process (though there’s no reason some kind of order or expectation can’t be brought to a wiki…and the history feature records all changes). Is a complex and sometimes chaotic social experiment better than a top-down decision made by a single person?
dc