Using wikis to develop student teachers' learning, teaching, and assessment capabilities

This article describes an innovative and unique practice involving two classes of information technology (IT) major student teachers, who created digital learning resources and assessment rubrics by utilizing a Web 2.0 tool. The project spanned more than two weeks and data were collected from a number of sources, such as the content of the wiki sites, comments posted by the students, and their selected assessment rubrics and reflections. The findings indicated that this pioneering practice helps students develop various generic skills, such as IT skills, collaboration skills, and organizational skills. The study also established that assessment rubrics are a feasible means of assessing a wiki site. The conclusions reached by this study were that wiki-based activities are useful in developing a diverse range of student teacher capabilities and can play a significant role in their learning. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.