Thing #8 --Wikis!

Wiki's are a whole new way to use technology to inspire students. I looked at every wiki site in the list provided. Since I teach elementary age students, I was especially interested in the wiki's for this age group. To say the least, I was impressed.

As I read through the wiki sites, I noticed the varied ways that they had been set up. Some were simple and others were much more complex. Kindergarten Counting Book was really special. I was amazed that children this young could establish and manage a wiki. The students should be so proud of their work for the content that was contained in the space and the learning it exhibited.

Next, I navigated through the Oregon trail in Go West with 3rd graders. I saw students use examples of webs, writing, and pictures to express their learning. We are using Thinking Maps this year on my campus for the first time. What a powerful application for these to be included in a student wiki.

Another aspect of the wiki that I found interesting is that student expectations were clearly laid out. As a mother and a teacher, I would love for my son to be able to access a site where the informaton for projects etc. was accessible to him both at home and school. Discovery Utopias really laid out the expectations.

For me to run a successful wiki in my classroom, I need greater access to computers. Maybe I'll get brave and take the laptops to my room. This would be a pretty scary experience since
I am in a portable and the carts won't exactly go up my ramp! Another option might be a day or two in the lab if it is not being used by the regular classroom teachers.

I would want to organize my classes wiki's so that even my most limited speaker of English would find the experience a successful learning tool. I would start very simple with webs, maps, vocabulary, and basic writing activities and build upon this as my students became more comfortable. I also must continue to learn more computer skills so that I will be able to help them post videos, pictures, etc.