Apple Mac OS X Server v10.6 - Manual (Page 92)

Preventing Misinformation
If you use wikis to distribute and collect assignments, organize teams, and host
information created by students about other students, you might think the wiki could
become a hotbed for distribution of misinformation. However, wiki tools have several
safeguards in place to prevent malicious editing.
One of the common misconceptions about using wikis and blogs is that anyone can
edit or update information without consequence. In wiki tools, every time someone
edits and saves a page, a new version of that page is created. The wiki saves previous
versions and keeps track of who edited the page last and what they changed. If a
student maliciously edits a page, you can find out who edited the page and what they
changed. You can then revert the page to an older version.
To prevent students from changing critical information, create a wiki that gives
read-only access to all students and comments moderated by you before they are
published publicly. You could have the class syllabus and assignment descriptions
on this wiki, but link to pages on a wiki students can edit, where students can post
completed assignments for your review.
Creating Wiki Yearbooks
When young students enter a new class, a typical first exercise is to share information
about themselves with all the other students so they learn each others’ names and
become familiar with each other. You can use a wiki to achieve the same results and
also add value.
To start, the teacher creates a class roster wiki page, listing everyone’s name. Every
student would then create a biography page linked from their name on the roster
page. In the biography pages, students describe themselves, including their favorite
things to do, favorite foods, favorite movies. Afterwards, students can browse each
others’ biographies and learn more about each other than can be gleaned from a
short speech in class. This exercise gives students a chance to express themselves in
a creative way and provides lasting value.
Later, you could create a yearbook by excerpting material from every student’s
biography page. Better yet, allow the class roster and biography pages to serve as a
dynamic electronic yearbook.
Posting Assignments on a Wiki
Because a wiki is easy to use, it’s an excellent medium for distributing homework
assignments. If a teacher reuses the same assignments for all classes, providing them
on a wiki saves paper, reduces time and effort.
92 Chapter 12 Using Wiki Tools in the Classroom