I created a Wikispaces account. Wikispaces are particularly useful for collaborating in group projects. While a lot of people think that Wikis are great for classroom group projects because one person cannot take over and it allows others to contribute when they normally would not in a face to face group project, I tend to disagree because that one person will still do a lot of the talking no matter what. In addition, the person who is in a group and does not contribute very much will still not contribute very much in a wiki. However, all the notes are collected in one space which is convenient when that person who is afraid or absent on presentation day is away with half, if not all, the notes. On the other hand, Wikis are great for editing work; teachers may also comment on the students' progress throughout the project. Wikis are useful for students in that they are able to collaborate with students across town, in another city, or across the world.
In addition to creating content, a person may follow wikis of professional or personal interest.
Check out the following wiki by Joyce Valenza: http://teacherlibrarian.wikispaces.com/Valenza+New+Tools+Page
Yes, I also saved this page on my Delicious account. LOL. I am having fun!
Some good points here, with some excellent "pros" versus some really insightful "cons" as well. I would imagine with some specific guidelines/requirements that all students are required to post to the wiki, and contribute to their topic, it would be a little more fair and equitable workload. But, it would require some strong expectations, role-modelling and supervision. Hopefully you'll get a chance to create a wiki for one of your classes and can try it out!
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