Quickie Wiki, part 2

OK, so in my last post, I didn't quite fulfill the assignment of summarizing what I have learned this week.  Yes, I learned that "wiki" means "fast," but I also learned that they are also webpages, and that they are very easy to use.    I enjoyed posting my contributions to our class "wiki" - and felt that there was great potential for creativity in future posts, if I put my mind to it!  As for the practical value of a wiki, I do believe that it would be an excellent means of getting my department at work literally "on the same page."  There are lots of emails that go out from one person in the department to the other - and they get lost amongst all the spam and library-wide emails that fill up our mailbox.  I can see that department announcements or information would be easily followed on a wiki - and having the history behind each post would be helpful.  Next time I go in to work I plan to ask our IT head if we can set up a wiki on our Intranet for our department.  I'll keep you posted on whether or not my idea is even feasible - and if it is, how successful it is! 

I really enjoyed the orientation which introduced us to wikis.  I learn best by actually doing the work, but next to that I prefer visual lessons.  They stick with me longer. 

Before I close this blog, I must say that the most surprising thing I learned this week, was that Wikipedia, the most visible wiki which acts as a type of encyclopedia, could be considered a valid source.  The professor in a previous class who gave me a "zero" for citing Wikipedia in a paper, and my boss at work who does not allow us to cite Wikipedia when we answer reference questions would differ with that conclusion.  Perhaps some day, but I do not feel comfortable using it as a reliable source.