COLLABORATION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION

Wikis as a Collaboration Tool:

What is a wiki? A wiki is a webpage that can be used to write, edit, and add elements to
create a collaborative project (Solomon & Schrum, 2014). Wikis allow individuals who are not
computer programmers to contribute content to the World Wide Web (Reich, Murnane, & Willett,
2012). This can be beneficial for education purposes because it allows teachers and students to
interact with one another. Wikis create rich educational experiences where students and teachers
can work together to complete a common task (Reich, Murnane, & Willett, 2012). In science
classes the use of wikis as a collaboration tool can help foster the idea that science is not
discovered by one person. It is a group of scientist that work together to share ideas and improve
upon one anothers work through peer reviews. Using wikis and other collaboration tools can
foster this model with the students. In order to better understand how wikis could be used in my
classroom I looked into three different teachers wiki site.
The wikis I observed were AP Chem NMSI (NMSI), Hathaway Brown (HB), and Miss Gerges
(MS). All three of these sites were focused on AP Chemistry topics. A commonality I found
amongst all of the sites is that the wiki space was used as a supplementary too for the class
room. They all were organized by the different topics that were covered in AP Chemistry and
consisted of links to different pages. The MS page was well organized and had minimal words on
the home screen. This made it easier to read and navigate. The NMSI page provided tutorial
videos in addition to supplemental worksheets. The HB page was the only one that encouraged
collaboration. At the end of the resources she encouraged student and teachers to post link with
additional information as needed. I think that the HB page encompassed the collaboration aspect
of wikis and this was different from the other two pages.
After investigating the possible uses for wikis I decided to try and create one. I used the
site wikispaces as a template. My goal with this wiki is to use it as a resource for my students to
get supplemental information for class topics and use it as homework help. I want students to be
able to work homework problems together. In chemistry students often get stuck and shut down.
In order to deter this mentality, I wanted to provide a space where they can work them out
together with multiple sets of eyes.

Productivity Tools Promote Collaboration in the Classroom

Productivity tools are those that allow for viewing, creating, and modifying documents
concurrently with other individuals (Solomon & Schrum, 2014). Most individuals are familiar with
the productivity tools that Google provides: docs, sheets, presentation, and calendars. However,
in my investigation for more productivity tools I found a number that I think can be beneficial to
the science classroom. Zoho Docs is a suite of applications that allow you to plan and organize
information. It offers tools similar to Google like word processing, spreadsheets, and
presentations but offers so much more. There are website templates, invoice templates, and so
much more. This tool would be great in the classroom. I used it to set up a group of volunteers.
This could easily be used in organizing group projects and helping them monitor who is being
productive. Another productivity tool. That I used was smartsheet. The appeal of this tool is that
it has spreadsheet templates for everything you could imagine. I set up a smartsheet that
allowed students to monitor their group work and take notes on members performance. I think
this would be great for rating their group members performance. Additionally, it is a tool that the

teachers can use to grade and monitor the group.

The last tool that I used was Draft In. This was by far my most favorite collaboration tool.
In Draft In you create (or import) a document and then share the link with others. Then they can
go in and edit, make comments, or offer suggestions. This is perfect for peer review in science. I
imagine students uploading their lab reports and having classmates read them and offer
suggestions for improvement.
Productivity tools and wikis provide many educational opportunities. The tools are both
engaging and they promote higher order thinking skills. The students ability to go in and review
other students work, like in Draft In, is allowing them to evaluate the material. The use of
interactive spreadsheets allows students to analyze information. The benefit to the Web 2.0 tools
is that the students are actively constructing their knowledge while doing higher level cognitive
task.
References:
Soloman, G. & Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0: How-to for educators. Eugene, OR: ISTE
Reich, J., Murnane, R., & Willett, J. (2012). The state of wiki usage in us k12 schools leveraging web 2.0 data
warehouses to assess quality and equity in online learning environments. Educational Researcher, 41(1), 7-15.