Teachers Learning with Wiki: Factors Influencing Behaviors and Outcomes

Teachers Learning with Wiki: Factors Influencing Behaviors and Outcomes

Yael Poyas (Oranim – College of Education and Haifa University, Israel)
Copyright: © 2010 |Pages: 15
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-909-5.ch008

Abstract

Wiki implementation in education has been thoroughly researched over the past few years, particularly due to the use of this technology in higher education institutions. One unique branch of this research is the influence of the Wiki environment on teachers who participate in teacher education programs. A multicultural group of teachers - younger and older, experienced and novices, Jews and Arabs – was examined while learning literature and its instruction with Wiki. Satisfaction with the learning process and its outcomes, as well as with relations among learners and between them and the lecturer, was high. Three main factors influenced the learning process and participants’ attitude toward the use of Wiki: (a) level of professional development and teaching experience, (b) culture and mother-tongue of the participants, and (c) discord between academic norms and the Wiki environment’s democratic norms.
Chapter Preview
Top

Introduction

The aim of this chapter is to present the impact of teachers' professional level, their culture and learning habits on their behaviors while learning with Wiki, and on the outcomes of this learning activity. The chapter begins with a brief review of the literature regarding Wiki-enhanced teaching, including its use in teacher education. It then describes phenomena uncovered by a study which examined a group of multi-aged and multicultural teachers with diverse professional experience, who learned in a Wiki environment. At the end, challenges for teacher education are discussed.

Complete Chapter List

Search this Book:
Reset