Wikis in the Classroom

I have been doing some reading on wikis in preparation for my paper and I have come across some interesting facts about wikis and why it is a good tool to be incorporated into the classroom. This information was taken from WolfWikis and the topic is Wikis in Writing Education Research. This article states that wikis are ideal learning tools because:
 Files are easily accessed on the same page
 Information is compiled collectively Wiki is inherently democratic (my favourite) Wiki have the ability to challenge natural authority structures (another favourite) Issues of author and individuality are transgressed to encourage community contribution and de-emphasize self (another favourite)
 The teacher acts more like a guide as opposed to the sole representation of authority
 Wikis can become places of class collaboration, socialization, and assignment participation
 Wikis give the students an opportunity to write for a wider audience Wikis foment a sense of shared knowledge, which can transcend to other courses, curricula or countries.
The list presented in this article is indeed longer but the points highlighted are my most favourite. More information can be obtained from the website: http://wikis.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php/Wikis_in_Writing_Education_Research. This article really propelled me to do further research on the topic as I like the idea of using technology to enhance writing. I believe that more emphasis should be placed on authentic, meaningful activities to enhance writing as we are losing our children in this arena. We spend lots of time with reading, which is commendable, but I believe that more time should also be allocated for students to get authentic writing instruction.