‘We-research’: Adopting a wiki to support the processes of collaborative research among a team of international researchers

Abstract

This article discusses the adoption of a wiki to support the processes of collaborative research between members of an international team involved in the project MyPlace: MyMusic. The focus is on how new technological communications, here specifically the wiki, can enable and transform the methods and processes of research. We propose two main aspects the use of the wiki can bring to research in music education: to facilitate multi-modal research processes and to promote research as a collective rather than individual practice. Both aspects, we argue, can extend the potential for music education research and subvert some of the limiting hierarchical traditions of academic research. This shift to a networked, multi-modal research method calls for new skills: technological, personal and social. Some analytical models of networked processes by other authors provide illuminative templates and these are introduced. The article maintains a balanced view, describing potential advantages alongside possible pitfalls.