The creation of a wiki can be very useful in the classroom for students to experience the freedom of expressing their thoughts. It will expose the student to a type of creativity that could never be achieved with normal classroom instruction. Students are increasingly learning things in a non linear fashion, as teachers we must provide the opportunities for students to learn in this way to access information as needed depending on the task that is being worked on.
Wikis allow for the development of a range of skills that allow the student to function independently within the Wiki environment. I find that the use of Wikis by students prepares them to read and analyze web pages a lot easier and also gives them the ability over time to use and retrieve information that is required rather than spending time sifting and sorting.
Communication involves the use of a variety of media that allows for the creation of new ideas which can be communicated quickly. Wikis give the teacher and idea of how much a student has grasped from instruction because the Wiki lends itself to self expression. Visual images and print help to broaden their understanding of what they read and in turn allow them to express their understanding through a variety of medium.
I still believe that using a word processor is an important skill for students. It should be used along with the Wikis because it is another tool that allows the student self expression. It prepares the student for writing in formal environments and allows choice from an array of templates to communicate information that is expository in nature.
I am deeply concerned about the non- access to computers and internet across schools in
