Wiki Writing: Collaborative Learning in the College Classroom, a collection of essays edited (in the “Wild, Wild Wiki”) by Robert Cummings and Matt Barton, is described as, “An indispensable and engaging guide to using wikis in the classroom.” A look at the table of contents includes titles that range from, “Wiki Justice, Social Ergonomics, and Ethical Collaborations” to “Wiki as Textshop: Constructing Knowledge in the Electronic Classroom.” In “Wikis in the Classroom: A Taxonomy” author Mark Phillipson writes, “Wikis carry with them the DNA of the open source movement, for better and for worse: they are infinitely modifiable, adaptable for any number of locally conceptualized ends, resistant to fixity. Such open-ended fluidity can only be tamed in the classroom by pre-defined purpose.”

When most people think of wikis, the first thing that comes to mind is Wikipedia though there are many other examples including NSDL’s Wiki. Experimentation with this fairly transparent content creation and co-editing technology and how to best use it in classrooms has fueled debate among those who believe that wikis either help or hinder students’ ability to interact with one another, express their opinions, and complete assignments online. The essays presented by Robert E. Cummings and Matt Barton in Wiki Writing: Collaborative Learning in the College Classroom are from various points of view that present a variety of use cases and opinions on what works in college classrooms.

Robert E. Cummings is Assistant Professor of English and Director of First-year Composition at Columbus State University. He also serves as

the Writing Specialist for CSU’s Quality Enhancement Plan, assisting teachers across campus in their efforts to maximize student writing in their curriculum.

Matt Barton is Assistant Professor at St. Cloud State University, Department of English. He is an Assistant Editor of Kairos and an Associate Editor of Kairosnews.