Wikis in My Classroom and Beyond
Wikis in My Classroom and Beyond: Podcast
5-D-1 – Wikis in My Classroom and Beyond….I must say I’m very impressed with wikis as a collaborative tool. The ability to construct and weave text into a shared structure seems pretty powerful when applied as a tool in the classroom.
I see two possibilities for the use of wikis in my classroom. One involves student to student collaboration (much like we did in class), and the other involves students and those outside the walls of our classroom. Both would have challenges and possibilities.
That being said I already have several possible uses for wikis.
In one case, I could use a wiki in developing a fundraising plan for a scholarship given each year. With the help of some teachers in the district, each building did a fundraiser in the fall of 2007. There was some measure of success. However, the project seemed disjointed and haphazard. I believe I could use wikis to develop a plan from teachers and students. Using a wiki might help build consensus, and ultimately support for the fundraiser.
In the second case, I could use a wiki to create a dialogue between my students and members of the community. The Fairview Community Classroom is a space for a mixture of history and biography. My plan is for students to get a better understanding of the history around them, and tap some of the resources in the community. In this case, everyone involved would be a student and a teacher.
When reflecting on some of the learning I observed in creating our class wiki on RSS in Education; I felt the power of consensus, and working towards a common goal. These skills cannot be underestimated.
Now that I have been won over by the potential for wikis, I need to get others to collaborate. One obstacle is the puzzled looks from people when I talk about wikis. My peers, who I have tremendous respect for, are not yet familiar with wikis and how they work. I believe if I can incorporate wiki use in my personal and professional life, I can influence others to discover this tool.
