Wikis: Easy Collaboration for All
This chapter intrigued me the most of all we've read so far. Like the author, I'm fascinated with Wikipedia. When students ask me if they can use Wikipedia for research, I want to say YES! It's so cool! Go ahead!....but the teacher in me says something else. I am very interested in having students contribute to Wikipedia, or possibly create their own Wikis. This seems VERY empowering for students. So...
4 IMPORTANT THINGS FROM THIS CHAPTER
1. Wikipedia is very cool, almost always correct, and an "amazing resource".
2. Wikis prove the concept that everyone together is smarter than anyone alone.
3. We live in a world where collaboration is the expectation rather than the exception. Wikis fulfill that expectation.
4. Students can be empowered to contribute to the wealth of knowledge presented to the world through wikis.
3 CONNECTIONS TO MY TEACHING
1. I have often questioned the same thing as the author regarding Wikipeida. When students ask if they can use it, I want to say "yes". But I make them search for more. What they find is often already presented in Wikipedia. So, is it better to have them LEARN what other people have already researched or to research? It probably depends on the assignment, but the question is an important one for every assignment. What is the desired outcome?
2. Wikis seems very useful for studying a book. I can especially see students contributing their ideas on a character study, for example. If all students contribute their ideas to the wiki, we will have an intriguing, more-complete idea of how the students understand a character.
3. I keep wondering when grading time is accounted for with all this technology! Apparently, WetPaint is the solution. While I haven't checked it out yet, it seems that this website might be able to help.
2 CONNECTIONS TO OTHER READING/WORK
1. Wikis are like the modern-day "add on to the story"--where notebooks are passed around a classroom so that everyone can contribute. The notebook on steroids! Everyone contributes. How cool is that?
2. Here's a great chart that shows whether to use a blog, a wiki or something else for a lesson: https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=ddnzwcn8_15g3jrbpdf&pli=1
1 QUESTION
Because we live in such a technology-integrated world, I'm wondering when it will be expected that schools/teachers integrate wikis (and other technology) into their classrooms. And thus, when we won't need permission from parents to involve their children in internet-related work. Or are we there now?