This post was updated in May 2019 to remove links to services that no longer exist. The concepts are still applicable to education.

Over the next six weeks I am going to be conducting three workshops about using wikis as educational tools. In preparation for those workshops I’m taking a look at five different, free, wiki applications. Two of these programs, PB Wiki and Wiki Spaces, I’m currently using with my classes. The other three wiki programs are very good alternatives, I just haven’t put them to use with students yet. If there are other wiki programs that you have had success using with students please leave a comment.

Here are the five wiki programs that I will be sharing with workshop participants.
1. PB Wiki
2. Wiki Spaces.
3. WikiDot
4. Wet Paint
5. Scribble Wiki

Applications for EducationA couple of months ago I reviewed PB Wiki and wrote about uses for wikis in education. You can read that review by clicking here. That blog post includes a discussion of how quickly a teacher can get a class working on a wiki.

One way to use a wiki in education is to build a resource page with your students for your students. As students progress through course curriculum they can share notes and references through a wiki. For example, during the third marking period my students built a wiki about the topics we studied. The students then used the wiki as a study guide for the quarter test.

Wikis make are great for group projects and presentation as students can easily collaborate on a wiki from any Internet connected computer. Wikis are a great way to have students share information through a 21st century medium. Students can share their work with classmates or a wider audience through a wiki. Most wiki programs allow for the inclusion of audio and video media along with text.