More about Wikis

A wiki could be used to create a class glossary that could hold terms covered throughout a topic. This would be a good way to have students create their own definitions that would allow them to remember them and to use them in their everyday vocabulary.  This is a wiki that I created for my Math Class. 


Wikis could also be used as an editing tool to aid in the writing process. This student could make corrections or additions easily. Additions could be made to the piece over time. Other students could also take time to peer edit the piece.  My students will be doing this when they work with a cooperating class on the Kindred Project. 

The Machine is Us/ing Us (Final Version)

This video shows how flexible text can be when it is linked to Web tools. Anything can be edited in a second. It is also updated immediately. Items can be separated and put into categories that can be seen around the world! It is amazing how one piece of text can be used my millions f people and linked to their work. Web 2.0 tools allow anyone to join a discussion on any topic. These tools are the new machines of education. We can now link classrooms around the world to analyze and discuss topics.

Examples of how Wikis can be used in the classroom

Wikis are a great tool that allow for collaboration between people.  I did find some free sites that allow teachers to set up wikis for educational purposes.  These sites can be made private and they do not allow adds.  Two of the sites that I have found are http://www.wikispaces.com/ and http://www.wetpaint.com/.  One place that I would like to incorporate a wiki in my classroom would be duirng my Language Arts block.  I would like to have my students set up in literature circles this year. In the literature circle, they would all read the same book and then they would be required to answer questions about the material and pose questions. By using a wiki, they could post their answers and questions, respond to their peers thoughts or questions and best of all preserve this work for the next class to review.  I am still trying to set this page up on my wiki, but it keeps deleting my text!


Below I have listed multiple links of ways teachers have used a wiki in their classroom. They are great resources to get you started on your journey of using wikis in your classroom! The  resources were found at http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Wikis+in+the+Classroom. 

Ms. Durney's Class- Students worked in small groups to pick up where Billy Joel left off in 1989. They worked together to create the next three stanzas to the song. http://msdurneysfire.wetpaint.com/page/Assignment


ACFT 5th Grade Science Wiki- The class Wiki is a website designed to increase student learning and improve communication with families.
http://acftscience.wetpaint.com/


Science Lab Wiki- A collaborative wiki for students to complete their lab reports.
http://scientificinvestigationsunis.wetpaint.com/

Are you new to blogging?

I have never created a blog before. It took me a few hours of playing around with the tools, widgets, and backgrounds before I found the following website: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-create-your-first-blog-using-blogger.html. This site was extremely helpful for my first blogging experience. I didn't even know how to hyperlink the site listed above, but bloggers for dummies walked me through the process!