Both wikis and blogs allow for interaction with a larger population than a teacher would normally have access to. A blog allows for reflection that is created by one person, but still allows for interaction with readers. A wiki allows multiple creators, and reader interaction as well. I have always preferred blogs over wikis, but that probably speaks more to my personality than anything else.
I think both blogs and wikis can be used as a method for publishing student writing and for allowing our students to interact with the outside world. They allow students to put their ideas out into the world and receive feedback from other readers.
But that leads me to one of my main concerns about wikis and blogs, especially with students. I feel as if it is very difficult to control and filter what students will post. I worry that students will make inappropriate comments both about the content, as well as to other students. And then I feel like reviewing all their comments is a huge task, that often feels overwhelming. I did enjoy having students interact in a service like edmodo, but I think I enjoyed that in part, because it was a closed forum.
I think I am also uncomfortable with wikis for that same reason. If I cannot control all the information going out of a site that I am associated with, I worry about the possible professional consequences of such things. I'm sure the argument could be made that I should trust my colleagues to be professional, and I agree. I truthfully can think of tons of people who I would trust to create a wiki or a blog with, and I would enjoy working with them and value their input. But that doesn't change my underlying worry… that some information or opinion that I put out on the web will come back to me in some negative manner. I probably am overly cautious and missing out on some great opportunities. That is something for me to think long and hard about.
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