Review+of+a+wiki+for+Stage+3

The wiki used within this review was set up following a variety of teaching and learning activities about forensic science. Students participated in a hands-on workshop organised by the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), where they assumed the roles of Forensic scientists solving crimes.

The wiki was implemented to establish a platform for sharing information relating to what the students had learnt on this topic. As Roblyer and Doering (2007) explain, wikis encourage collaboration and communication of ideas by having users contribute or modify the content.



Accessibility and Use in the School Setting
The wiki was set up as a web-based learning environment to utilise more technology in the teaching and learning environment and to encourage the student's collaboration during their work on the science unit.

The students had been working on the Forensic Science Unit during the previous three weeks before the wiki was started. The purpose of the wiki was to initiate discussion and pose questions relating to the unit of work. Students were encouraged to participate and to use the specific vocabulary associated with forensic science.

The teacher created the homepage of the wiki, and used lesson time to explain the purpose of the wiki and how to 'navigate' around the pages. The students were then invited to post comments, add to the discussion and update their profiles.