Techie Learning Tech

How do I feel about wikis? I feel pretty happy about them. We created one for our class that's content specific (I'm part of a Math wiki) here: http://tpte486math.pbworks.com. I'm having a lot of fun with it... It's my first time being part of a Wiki, and I can really see the usefulness. Being able to collaborate with other people, each able to edit the page, add links, text, tables, images, etc. It's very cool, and I can't wait to find a way to use it in the classroom.

I'm just trying to brainstorm how I might apply it to a math class. Create a wiki for the class, give each student an account, and then what? We could share links with interesting math resources, but I'm wondering how we could use it as a teaching tool for whatever we're studying at the time other than listing outside references. Maybe we could use it to collaborate on challenging homework problems... The only problem is math is a little difficult to type without the right software (equation editors, etc.). It's definitely something I'll be thinking about.

I think our technology teacher made a good point when she said that the main issue with new wiki users is resentment towards others who edit their work, or hesitancy to edit the work of others. It's definitely something you have to get used to. People tend to be very defensive of their work, even if there are glaring errors. They may take offense to someone coming along and making minor changes, which is simply the nature of the medium.