Wikis for Group Work

There are many reasons to use a wiki for group projects. Bill Ferriter has developed a number of resources that can help you implement wikis in your classroom. His handout of wiki roles for student groups is a must read.

The handout “details a set of roles that students play in successful group wiki projects.  It also encourages students to reflect on the contributions that they are the best prepared to make to—and provides a table for tracking assignments for—-group wiki projects.” http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/Wikis

Wiki Roles include:

• The Link Layer should begin by identifying logical places to include links in your group’s work. They should also check each source that you link to for bias and/or accuracy—and be willing to replace any references to questionable websites that have been included in your group’s work.
•  The Flow Master is completely responsible for reviewing your work to make sure that your readers aren’t left confused.
• The Spelling Cop has a seemingly simple job: Checking the spelling of every single word that is added to your group’s document.
• The Discussion Starter is responsible for asking constant questions about what it is that your group is producing.
• Captain Spit-and-Polish is in charge of finding images and graphics that support the arguments your group is making and to make sure that your layout is professional and interesting.

Download a copy of the handout here – http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/f/Handout_WikiRoles.pdf