Using Wikis in Philosophy

Using Wikis in Philosophy

Overview

A Wiki is a type of internet-based collaboration software that allows groups of people to easily co-author content. Its most famous application is the world-wide Wikipedia. This session explores ways of using wiki software in teaching philosophy.

Wikis are generally valuable to faculty because they allow easy management and updating of content (primarily text, images, and links). Students may be asked to post model work to the wiki, engage in collaborative research using the wiki as a medium for sharing findings, contribute notes, additional detail, or questions to lectures, collaborate with other students on test preparation, or host student projects. We will also discuss technical features of wikis and limitations of their usefulness.

Key Features of Wikis

1. Rollback feature. Wikis are databases which allow careful management of editing and content creation for groups.

2. Talk pages creates a natural "meta-level" for discussion of primary page content.

3. Automatic Tables of Contents and Outlining levels make it easy for groups to accumulate and organize contents. Long pages remain easy to navigate.

Uses of Wikis in Teaching Philosophy

1. General Content, management of content over semesters. Front pages of courses Critical Thinking, [[Human - lecture/study question model, wiki vs. course management software, file naming for content management

2. Student Model Work

3. Collaborative Research - Critical Thinking (linked classes), Philosophy Proseminar

4. Seminar Collaboration

Problems and Possibilities in Using Wikis

1. Phishing sites and validation of users.

2. Wikis are very transparent. - Page protection and notification features. "Transparency across course iteration"

3. Ease of creating and linking content. Wiki software realizes many of the features of hypertext software by maintaining a low-design aesthetic and a simple set of editing conventions.