There is very little “labour” involved in setting up a Wiki.  The reason I say this is because all you have to do is set up an account and then begin the Wiki.  A number of these web2.0 tools are set up to NOT be labour intensive.  If the tool is easy to use then more people will use them.  It makes people feel like they are more computer literate then they actually are (present company included).

I feel the main benefit of the Wiki is to allow for group work and discussion without being in a group.  It allows students to participate in the activity on their own time and at their own pace.  The ability for all students to add their views and edit the Wiki gives all those in a group a feeling of contribution to the final project.  In that sense, Wikis are excellent for creating an almost classroom environment so discussions can occur.

What I found challenging with the Wikis was how the Wiki appeared.  The Wikis I have used are just not aesthetically pleasing.  The fonts are the same for each participant which gives the appearance of one document but makes it difficult to know where one person’s contribution ends and the next person begins.  What did surprise me was how well they work.  I prefer Google docs, but since they are basically the same format it was easy to use.  You really do feel like you are an active participant in the group work.  Even if you are participating at your own pace, you are an active participant in the learning process.  I am not sure how I could use a Wiki in my science classes but it has definitely started the wheels turning.  I think this might be a good forum to do a project in my Science 10 class next year.