5. Wikis

A Wiki is a collaborative site. In a Wiki, everybody can create a page, share information, or edit content in an easy way, usually, by having only a password. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia in a Wiki browser where people can collaborate to create pages and edit information about almost any topic, and nowadays, it is the biggest Wiki in the world. The term "Wiki" comes from the name of a bus in Hawaii which the developer of the first Wiki (Ward Cunningham) found interesting. For him, Wiki means "quickly" since the upgrading of content is very fast.

A wiki can be used for educational purposes. In fact, there are a lot of wikis used to practice English outside the classroom. Apart from eliminating geographical barriers, ELT Wikis are very useful, since:

• First, a Wiki allows teachers and students to share information about their English classes in a very fast way.

• Second, it allows students to edit content, participate and get involved in their own learning.

• Third, it connects them with the new technologies while they learn the language and practice their reading and writing skills in a fun way.

I have created a Wiki for my little preschool students where they will have the opportunity to review everything we have been doing in our English classes and participate in new fun online activities to continue learning the language. Of course, these learners are not able to edit pages; nevertheless, I asked for their parents' assistance in this matter. If you are interested in visiting my site, just click here. Although I chose Wikispaces to start my own wiki, you can also visit and sign up to other free wikihosts, such as Wikidot, Pbworks, Zohowiki and Wetpaint.

To know more about this topic and its advantages, click on the following links:
http://articles.sitepoint.com/article/what-is-a-wiki
http://wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki

You can also visit this interesting Wiki for English Language Teachers from Pearson-Longman