I am fresh off of preparing my
argument against internet filters, so I want to first comment that Wikis are
blocked by the Richmond County School System because they fall into the “forum”
category, which is not allowed. Assuming
I did live in a world where teachers could use Wikis in the classroom or in the
media center, I think there would be more benefits than drawbacks. I love the idea of using Wikis for internal
communication. Right now, we use Dropbox
to share lesson plans, for access to general school information documents, and
to sign up for the computer lab. I think
using a Wiki would be much simpler.
Using Dropbox, users only have access to files that they have been
invited to view. Generally speaking,
teachers usually only share their lesson plan folders with teachers on their
grade levels, but I think it would be more beneficial if all the teachers could
see everyone’s plans for vertical teaming and to get inspired with new
ideas. If someone accidentally forgets
to close a file in Dropbox, a second, “conflicted copy” of that file is
created, but this would not happen if we were using a Wiki.
As
evaluation systems have changed in Georgia, first from Class Keys now to
Teacher Keys, my administrators have required teachers to document “evidence”
that we are meeting performance criteria under the new systems. Often my colleagues and I have been confused
and felt overwhelmed by having to find ways to prove that we are meeting all of
the standards. We could use a Wiki to
not only keep a portfolio of what is going on in our classroom, but to upload
resources, and to view each other’s portfolios to get ideas from one another. Rather
than having to bring in an actual portfolio into our evaluation as we have been
doing for the past two years, the administrators could keep track of what is
happening in our classroom and how we are collaborating through the Wiki.
In
reading Amy Bowllan’s article “A Wiki Gives a Worthy Book New Life,” I was really intrigued by the idea of using a
wiki with my book club that I just started (As a side note, Amy used the free
software Wetpaint to create her blog, and gives the web address www.wetpaint.com, but that goes to an
celebrity entertainment site. I think
the actual site is http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/.
) Because I am not a classroom teacher
anymore, my time is limited with the students that are in my book club, so I
could use a wiki to stay connected with them, and to guide collaborative
projects on the book. As an added bonus,
I only meet with 6 students at a time, so as the year progresses and I get new
groups, the wiki can stay active and we can build on each other’s ideas and
resource banks.
Bowllan, A. (2008). A wiki gives a worthy
book new life. School Library Journal, Retrieved from http://schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6590061.html
(2005). 7 things you should know
about..wikis. Educause Learning Initiative, (July), Retrieved from www.educause.edu/eli
Using a wiki to communicate with your book club students is an excellent example of how to utilize wikis in the library. Since your book club kids will change often, I like your idea to keep the information on the wiki and build from past experiences.
ReplyDeleteThe art teachers in my district began a wiki a few years ago with the intent of sharing resources, ideas, etc. I remember thinking it was a great idea, but inexperience might have gotten in the way. No one posted often enough and there weren't email reminders or notifications when someone did so it was easily forgotten. Unfortunately it became one more thing to forget to check. I feel like we have countless logins and passwords for all the sites we maintain these days, it would take some adjusting to make a shared wiki common day practice. But I think if teachers use it often enough then it would work great.
Laurie I love your idea of using a wiki to document for Class Keys. This also would meet the need for collaboration because you are sharing your ideas with your team members. This would also make it easier for the administrators to document and follow actually what we are doing since they have so many different things that they have to see. I also like the book club and using the wiki. I teach kindergarten so I found it very challenging to incorporate the wikis in my classroom, but using it as a book club is very creative and a good way to keep in touch with the kids. Great job.
ReplyDeleteI also really like the idea of using a Wiki to document how you are meeting performance criteria. Not only does it prevent you from having to create and keep a separate portfolio, but it becomes a portfolio that it permanent and one that you can continue to add onto through the years. While reading your post I thought about how this could be also done with students. A Wiki could be a place where they post and collect samples of their work over any given amount of time.
ReplyDeleteI also like your idea of communicating with kids in a book club through a Wiki! I had mentioned in another post that I have been hesitant to use Wikis with my students but as I read about all of the wonderful ideas that people have posted for using them, I am thinking that I might give them a try!
First off, I think the potential for a wiki is wonderful in today's classrooms and the media center. It is a central location for a wealth of information and interaction among participants.
ReplyDeleteUsing a wiki for a book club is a wonderful use for a wiki page. I like your ideas to this effect.
Thank you also for clarifying the wetpaint link as the one I originally went to was for entertainment and I could not understand where I went wrong. This is very useful information now that I have the correct link!
Using the wiki to show that performance criteria is being met is an excellent reason for using one. It is a handy way to have record of what you are doing and how the students are responding to it.
Thank you again for a wonderful post on Wikis and how to use them in a school!
Marilyn Richardson