Wikis in the Classroom

From my understanding, the main difference between a wiki and a regular website is that a wiki can be freely edited by its audience as well as its creator, whereas a website is usually created and edited only by one person (or small group of people) and is used by a larger audience. As a teacher - and a Latin teacher specifically - I can see the benefit to having a website which displays or links to Latin resources. Thinking of a project which requires students to collaborate online is more challenging, however.

The "50 Ways to Use Wikis" article suggested virtual field trips, which I think is a good idea. Rome and the remains of the Roman empire are too far for me to easily arrange a field trip, as educational as it would be. With a Wiki, I could let students research important historical sites and then share their findings. By using the Internet, they could even find reconstructions of destroyed buildings and chart important events which happened in that area.

Another idea from the article was creating a collaborative reference, whether a vocabulary list, encyclopedia, or study guide. Advanced Latin classes focus primarily on translating, and the students may need help on some things - grammar constructions, colloquial expressions, literary devices - with which I am so familiar that I have stopped noticing them. With a Wiki, they can create and edit a reference which exactly meets their needs, rather than growing frustrated because they cannot find the information they need in the tools which I have given them.