I started a wiki this year for my AP Human Geography class and it has been a huge success and something that I am proud of as a classroom teacher. I post word documents, videos, and podcasts to assist in classroom instruction. The students know that if they are absent, need a copy or further explanation the wiki is there to assist them in as a “one stop shop.” As I have learned the process as I go, I have often thought that this could be a great tool when I become a Media Specialist as well. A wiki is basically a website that is extremely user friendly and offers the ability for users to take an active role in creating, editing, adding and changing the wiki. I have found that wikispaces is great site (www.wikispaces.com) for educators and it is free! If you want to view mine, just for an example of how to use or how you could suggest teachers to use go to www.mstrice.wikipaces.com.
Wikis can be a great asset to Media Centers on a variety of levels! They can be used for someone just starting out as an additional resource as “storage cabinet” or as a collaborative tool. As with any technology tool, the more comfortable someone feels the more willing they will be t go one more step, then another and eventual to the level of being an expert. Wikis can be used as a “go to source” for both teachers and students and can be an interactive website used for collaboration and information source. The Media Center can advertise what is going on/programs offered, promote new books, resources and technology , links to teacher projects with valuable resources that can assist in research, lint to resources such as citation sites for APA and MLA styles and much more. I reviewed several of the links and was impressed with what some of the schools were linking. Students can watch videos on Media Center orientations, technology tips, computer lab procedures – teachers and media specialists can post a variety of resources that encourage student involvement such as promoting reading. Student love to see themselves in the spotlight! Another tool, I never thought about was having students create wikispaces to for a unit -gathering and posting information, promoting material or whatever. One of the links that I reviewed was in regards to a teacher not being able to find online sources for a book. She and her class creates a wiki and gathered material in support of the book – now she created an online source that other teachers and students can use to research and learn about content of the book as well as the book itself. All of the resources that were presented showcased wikis as a strong resource to use. As I mentioned before as the creator gets more comfortable with all the wiki can do, the use will become more and more an asset but even as a “beginner wiki” the wiki proves to be an effective tool. As far as drawbacks, there are not many. Wikis can be made public or private. If they are private, they may be less attainable to the community the wiki should serve as people that want to view must request membership. That may be a large task for a media specialist in a large school. If community members are accepted as members, they may have access to editing and changing the wiki depending on how the wiki was initially setup. I think that media specialists may have to think through how wiki was to be used and then can decide on restrictions or access.
In the age of students being engaged in fast connections to information through the internet, the exposure to entertainment through television and video games, the Media Center needs to move with the trends and be as interactive as the other activities that students are so enthralled in. This is their world, they are the technology world. We as Media Specialist need to learn the game, play the game and master the game and offer information to them in ways that they will enjoy, understand and become engaged in. A wiki can do just that – it can be an interactive tool to educate students and expose. As they can be “storage cabinets” (which is not completely bad), they can also be viewed as a tool to promote collaboration. Media Specialists can create wikis where students and teachers can access resources needed on a day to day basis. Wikis can also be a source for teachers to work with the SLMS in which the SLMS can post available resources for students. Teachers can view other teacher’s projects and resources. The wiki can be set up where members can add comments or question or post own resource finds. If you do not want the wiki to be open to the public for change/editing, users can still play a role. Wikis can be set up with a discussion page to create posts, discussions or questions. Also the wiki can “notify” users of changes and additions. It seems that more and more, there is just not enough time in the day! A wiki can create a go to place to support student achievement and learning as well as aid teachers in instruction. In order for the wiki to be a collaborative tool, the SLMS must actively promote how the use of the wiki is a resourceful tool!
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I like how you pointed out that how one who uses a wiki is often dependent on their comfort level. I think its true that first time wiki user will not necessarily have the sophisticated collaborative uses like a seasoned expert might. I also thought you made a good point about wikis being used as storage closets as being okay. Although that isn't necessarily ideal its not a terrible thing either. I visited your wiki and was impressed with the content made available to students. I noticed that it was protected and wondered if you allow students to upload any content? Based on all of the information you had on there I'm assuming the answer is no. Does wikispaces allow you to have people edit one specific section of the wiki? That would be a great way for students to contribute links or other content they've found useful.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your blog post on wikis, but I was blown away by the wiki that you have set up and maintained. What a wonderful tool for you as a teacher, your students, and your parents to use all through the year! It looks like, as you noted in your post, that your wiki is *NOT* a storage space :-), and truly it would be a great resource for all students, but particularly those students who miss a day from sickness or other reasons. I think that, at this point in the year, we are all sort of past the "swine flu scare", but at one point, people were bandying about the ability to use the Internet as an alternate means of educating the students.....your wiki would be an excellent example of a place in which most teachers would need to work toward to be able to set the stage for off-campus learning.
My favorite part of your personal wiki was the parent information page. As a teacher who has worked with parents at the elementary and high school levels, I have always struggled with keeping open lines of communication and ensuring that important events and ideas were communicated in a timely fashion. I can see that you will never be one of those teachers who would (or could) be confronted by a parent mid-semester (or close to graduation, etc.) and told that they had no idea their child was doing so bad, and why didn't you do or say this or that......because you have already laid the groundwork for a deep understanding of the time and commitment it takes to succeed in your course, and you provide ongoing virtual support that is available to anyone at any time.
More than research articles that blithely state the positive reasons for using wikis in the classroom or school environments, I can really 'sink my teeth into' and learn more from technology in action, such as you have shown with your wiki. I can't wait to see the wiki for your media center...... :-)
Erin Dorman
I am glad to hear from somebody who is currently implementing and enjoying the many advantages of a Wiki. As I started reading your post, I stopped to wonder why every teacher isn’t utilizing this technology in one form or another. I understand that there is a fear of the unknown, but the benefits of the Wiki seem too great to ignore.
ReplyDeleteAbsence is a huge issue in many schools and a hassle for the teacher. Students are often not responsible enough to request work they missed from an absence, and teachers do not have the time to hunt them down and explain the topics covered in class. Your AP Human Geography Wiki solves this problem. Now, the teacher can simply provide a link to the Wiki for students and parents. Suddenly, communication is increased and the teacher’s responsibility to inform teachers and students who request information is made easier. Now, he can simply post directions, examples, and readings from instruction one time. This provides the absent student directions, and it can also guide parents who like to be informed and play an active role in their child’s education. In addition to these benefits, updating information on a Wiki can be much easier than updating a website.
I also like how you explained the Wiki as a tool that can be introduced to beginners on a basic level. I think this is the key to getting an entire staff involved. Using a Wiki for “storage” or for simple text posts, is a way anybody can get involved. As comfort levels increase, I like how you point out that more advanced skills can be taught/incorporated.
Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteYour wiki is gorgeous, girl. I wonder how you could expand it even more to make it a place for student discussion. I noticed that your discussion board is empty--wouldn't that be a great place for students to post questions or observations! You could even have an AP-style question that students could bounce off each other to develop a class answer, then have it to discuss in class. Much like Wikipedia, students would edit each other, noting misconceptions or errors in thinking...AP students are so competitive.
I love the way you're using the wiki as a communication tool for absent students as well as for parents. The information is easy to find, too.
The one thing that irritates me about Wikis in general is that the pages can be sooooo long. I've noticed that some I've checked on scroll on forever, which gets frustrating as a viewer/participant.
How can we get students more involved with any wiki we create, either as teachers or as media specialists? As I mentioned in another post, WIKI stands for What I Know Is. If we don't get our kids to show what they know as a community, we're missing out on a crucial component of a Web 2.0 application. They're not creators of content; just consumers.