Conclusion

Wikis can be powerful tools to facilitate collaborative work and the development of online communities. The ability for distributed individuals to contribute to the same topics/content or project with just a web browser and a network connection has resulted in some amazing achievements of peer-produced content over recent years. The most notable example is Wikipedia but we are still in the early days of this technology and great things may come from a wide adoption of wiki technology by communities and groups interested in creating open resources. We hope that WikiEducator continues to grow as a place for communities of interested practitioners to facilitate and support the development of Open Educational Resources (OERs).

"For the gains in autonomy, democracy, justice, and a critical culture to materialize, the practices of non-market information production, individually free creation, and cooperative peer production must become more than fringe practices. They must become part of life for substantial portions of the networked population." - Yochai Benkler, The Wealth of Networks.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

If there is anything you would like to know more about regarding this tutorial, check out the FAQs page, someone else may have had the same question. If your question is not already covered on this page please add it to the talk page under an appropriate subject or post your question on the main WikiEducator google group.

External links and resources

These links are provided for further reading. They will be particularly useful for facilitators wanting to add interesting points when working through the WikiEducator tutorials.

• 7 Things you should know about wikis, provided by the Educause Learning Initiative
• Ward Cunningham's original wiki, called WikiWikiWeb which he started coding in 1994
• Etymology of the Wiki
• Uses and Potentials of Wikis in the Classroom, by Ferris and Wilder
• Using Wikis in Schools: A Case Study

References

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