Image retrieved from
www.creativeeducation.co.uk
www.creativeeducation.co.uk
In
this day of technology, more and more information is
being stored online. Web pages have been
a go-to source for information. At some point in the not too distant
past, people began to realize the need for a specific area that
contained
information yet was editable by many people.
It made sense to compile information from multiple sources in one
area. Wikis were created to fill that need.
A Wiki is a web page that can be edited by more than one
person. The purpose of Wikis is to allow
multiple people to edit online information so that the information can come
from a greater source than just one person. “Wikis work best when individual authorship is
less important than the outcome that is created.” (Wikis) One of the best
things about Wikis is that they can be moderated to restrict who can and can’t
edit a page. Additionally, the content
can also be moderated to ensure the information being posted is on topic, relevant,
or appropriate. These features are key
to having success with Wikis in a K-12 environment. In contrast to blogs, Wiki content is
directly editable. While blogs certainly have their own place, there are some stark benefits to Wikis. According to
TeacherFirst.com,
While
commenting, and even posting, are open to the members of the blog or the
general public, no one is able to change a comment or post made by another. The
usual format is post-comment-comment-comment, and so on. For this reason, blogs
are often the vehicle of choice to express individual opinions. A wiki has a
far more open structure and allows others to change what one person has
written. This openness may trump individual opinion with group consensus. (Wiki
Walk-Through, 1998)
There are many free Wiki sites available including
wikispaces.com, wiki.com, Google Sites, and pbworks.com.
 |
“Wikispaces has
been great so far. It is an amazing thing to learn through community building
activities in an online environment that encourages the free exchange of ideas
and emphasizes high level, clear communication and critical thinking.” – David Conlay, Estancia High School
(IPad in Education)
Some
concern with Wikis revolves around inaccurate or inappropriate data
being posted. Most educational Wikis are moderated, thus preventing
most of this from happening. Additionally, according to Hertfordshire
Grid for Learning, "If your wiki is going to be ‘open’ for viewing, never publish pupil
information or identifiable pupil images, or school information that
you wouldn’t want published on the school’s website."(Wikis, TheGrid)
Image Retrieved from http://www.thegrid.org.uk/learning/ict/technologies/web2.0/wiki/
Wikis have a solid place in education. Teachers can benefit by having classes work
on a wiki with a certain topic. Students
within the class can add their information to the topic to create a vast amount
of information. Within the school
library media center, Wikis can be created for students to share book thoughts
or other information. Finally, and
possibly most important, collaboration between teachers and administrators can
exist. A wonderful example of this is Palm
Beach County’s wiki that shares information on the use of iPads within their
schools. Timelines are presented, along
with “how-to” sections. The Palm Beach
wiki can be found HERE
. As the saying goes, the possibilities
are endless.
Creating a Wiki is typically a very painless process. I found a wonderful article by the “howtogeek”
for creating a Wiki. Instructions
can be found at the following sites :
It
is important for your teachers to feel comfortable using Wikis, so a
few practice or set-up sessions in the media center might be called
for. You might also want to provide some examples of Wikis that contain
additional information, such as :
To have success with your Wiki project, be sure to motivate individual
students to continue to add thoughts so that the document does not
become stagnant. Interesting topics and project goals can keep things
interesting. My own future project includes having students create a
comparison Wiki of books to their movie versions using a Wiki. Other
interesting ideas include conducting student book reviews and allowing
students to create lists and genres of books they would like to see
within the SLMC.
Aside
from interesting topics, it is important to build upon existing work
within the Wiki. To get the most out of it, students can use
information from their Wikis for future class activities and perhaps
even tests. That bring about another idea. Could your students be
allowed to create a Wiki Cheat Sheet for a test? It might be a great
way to encourage the use of technology, student collaboration, and
studying! Additional student uses include conducting research or even
creating a school newsletter.
On a personal note, I also hope to take advantage of the
information available on library and media center topics that exist within
Wikis. I am sure that readers of this
blog could offer other ideas for using Wikis in their SLMC, and I would love to
hear them!
References
IPad in Education. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2015, from
http://palmbeachschooltalk.com/wiki/projects/ipadineducation/
http://palmbeachschooltalk.com/wiki/projects/ipadineducation/
Wikis. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/wikis/
Wikis.
(n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2015, from
http://www.thegrid.org.uk/learning/ict/technologies/web2.0/wiki/
http://www.thegrid.org.uk/learning/ict/technologies/web2.0/wiki/
Wiki Walk-Through. (1998). Retrieved January 23, 2015, from
http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/
http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/
Response to Group 3 / Student 1 / Blog 1 (by Catherine Page):
When I think
of wikis, I think of Wikipedia. And I have to admit, I go to it more often than
I probably should to look up people, items, histories, events, pretty much
anything. When I watch TV, my computer is sitting directly in front of me, and
if I see an actor or actress that intrigues me, I’ll look them up. Oftentimes,
I bypass imdb in favor of Wikipedia because Wikipedia typically has a lot more
information, and I like the layout more. I do this even though I know that the
information on Wikipedia is only as accurate as the Tom, Dick, or Harry typing
it in. This being said, I do visit other sources to verify the information, but
still…
As a user, I
am sold on the concept, obviously. But now you have me thinking about how to
implement wikis into the educational experience – something I had not
considered prior to this blog post. I love the idea Meghen, of allowing
students to create a wiki cheat sheet for a test. They would have to aggregate the
information (research) and then input it into the wiki page (note-taking). And
in-so-doing, would be executing all the steps required to study for a test. So
the final product (the cheat sheet) would be a relic or talisman, carried into
battle as more of a conceptual good luck charm than anything. If that is, that
all students with access to it, contributed with equally and with fidelity.
There’s always the chance that one or more members of the group might benefit
from something they did not actually help create. But even so, I think the idea
is a great one.
Having a
class wiki would also be a great idea since the wiki would be monitored by the
teacher. We would not have to worry
about the accuracy of the information since the subject matter expert would be
watching closely and contributing heavily.
I decided to
google ‘wikis used by media specialists’ to see what ideas others might have on
this topic. I found a very interesting site right off the bat: http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/--Wikis+to+Share
. They had some good ideas for using wikis, like: starting a wiki book club,
wiki class notes, posting portfolios, and using wikis for media specialists’
workspace (Carolyn Starkey put up a wiki to chart comparisons between library
automation systems). In addition, there were
some great ideas shared on the Cool Cat Teacher Blog. The teacher, Vicki Davis,
lists the ways that she uses wikis for her class: summarizing lessons, collaborative notes,
introducing concepts and projects, posting important classroom information, and
checking for student understanding and knowledge acquisition.
So it looks
like wikis are a hit with educators, whether they use them for conducting,
supporting, or enhancing instruction, as a means of communication, or as way to
share professional knowledge. (An as an aside, this website linked to another
great resource that might be of some use to any or all of us: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/.
I plan to take that back to my PLC on Monday and see if we can’t use some of
the ideas and resources they suggest to help get our kids ready for the Georgia
Milestone).
The cheat sheet is an intriguing concept--open book but the student must create their own book/manual. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteAll of these wikis being created for various projects, classes,reviews etc seems exhausting and does not necessarily allow for keeping valid ideas over time once students leave the school. I understand that there could be a wiki for teachers and/or the media center but I wonder if there is an open ended way that students work could be built upon as new student arrive. So the original wikis created (for whatever reason) would grow and be built upon organically over time.
This information is very interesting. As I was reading it I was actually thinking that this would be a great tool to have teachers write reviews of their summer reading books so students could better choose from a list provided. Some of our students have 4 or 5 books to read over the summer so if they could choose ones that could interest them I think it would make the assignment seem more fun. However, I love your idea of getting the students involved and having them write reviews and also your book to movie comparison project. What a great way to get students interested in books, movies and technology. It’s also a great way to get traffic to your website if you have it posted there. Thank you for the many links that will help make setting up and using Wikis much easier.
ReplyDeletePreviously, I have used wikis for professional reasons such as lesson plan ideas, routines, new technologies, management techniques, etc...After reading all of the information about wikis, I feel that they definitely have a place in the classroom and the media center. I love the idea of have a book review space for students to discuss books that they have read or to suggest new books for other students to read or for the media center to purchase. Any time students feel like they are sharing their expertise on a subject, they feel important will put more effort into their work. I also think having the students create their cheat sheets for a test are brilliant. My own daughter's teacher recently had them do that for their midterm exams, except they had to use an index card. I like the idea of incorporating technology into the process. It truly makes a difference in the test scores and motivates more students to study. Since many wiki sites are free and so easy to begin, I think more teachers should be encouraged to give them a try. I for one will be promoting this concept at my school. I guess that means I need to get busy and create a wiki for my Media Center. Monkey see-monkey do!
ReplyDeleteI believe that I posted my response in the wrong place (as part of the blog itself). So here goes again:
ReplyDeleteResponse to Group 3 / Student 1 / Blog 1:
When I think of wikis, I think of Wikipedia. And I have to admit, I go to it more often than I probably should to look up people, items, histories, events, pretty much anything. When I watch TV, my computer is sitting directly in front of me, and if I see an actor or actress that intrigues me, I’ll look them up. Oftentimes, I bypass imdb in favor of Wikipedia because Wikipedia typically has a lot more information, and I like the layout more. I do this even though I know that the information on Wikipedia is only as accurate as the Tom, Dick, or Harry typing it in. This being said, I do visit other sources to verify the information, but still…
As a user, I am sold on the concept, obviously. But now you have me thinking about how to implement wikis into the educational experience – something I had not considered prior to this blog post. I love the idea Meghen, of allowing students to create a wiki cheat sheet for a test. They would have to aggregate the information (research) and then input it into the wiki page (note-taking). And in-so-doing, would be executing all the steps required to study for a test. So the final product (the cheat sheet) would be a relic or talisman, carried into battle as more of a conceptual good luck charm than anything. If that is, that all students with access to it, contributed with equally and with fidelity. There’s always the chance that one or more members of the group might benefit from something they did not actually help create. But even so, I think the idea is a great one.
Having a class wiki would also be a great idea since the wiki would be monitored by the teacher. We would not have to worry about the accuracy of the information since the subject matter expert would be watching closely and contributing heavily.
I decided to google ‘wikis used by media specialists’ to see what ideas others might have on this topic. I found a very interesting site right off the bat: http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/--Wikis+to+Share . They had some good ideas for using wikis, like: starting a wiki book club, wiki class notes, posting portfolios, and using wikis for media specialists’ workspace (Carolyn Starkey put up a wiki to chart comparisons between library automation systems). In addition, there were some great ideas shared on the Cool Cat Teacher Blog. The teacher, Vicki Davis, lists the ways that she uses wikis for her class: summarizing lessons, collaborative notes, introducing concepts and projects, posting important classroom information, and checking for student understanding and knowledge acquisition.
So it looks like wikis are a hit with educators, whether they use them for conducting, supporting, or enhancing instruction, as a means of communication, or as way to share professional knowledge. (An as an aside, this website linked to another great resource that might be of some use to any or all of us: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/. I plan to take that back to my PLC on Monday and see if we can’t use some of the ideas and resources they suggest to help get our kids ready for the Georgia Milestone).
Hell there Meghen
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of your write-up, you said that it makes sense to compile information from multiple sources and put them in one area. I can agree with you on this, but I am still not exactly sure if I am sold on the use of Wikis! I mean it does make it easier for teachers, but I think that it may make our students a little lazier than they already are (mine anyway). I say this because, I think it will take away from the student’s experience of “researching” and finding different resources on their own pertaining to the topic. On a positive note, maybe a wiki could be used for specific projects throughout the year and not year round. I don’t know; maybe when I truly experience using a Wiki in the classroom, my thoughts about them will change.
In your write up, you also pointed out that one of the best features of using wikis is that you can restrict editing to certain users and also monitor what content is being posted. I could see how monitoring could be become a task in the media center with everything else that has to be done. At our school (high school level), we have several students who come to work in the media center throughout the day through the Youth Apprenticeship Program. I think that if I were a media specialist at the high school level, I may consider assigning this task to my student workers or my assistant, so that it wouldn’t be another thing added to my list. My focus would be to keep the content on the wiki as relevant and as up to date as possible.
To piggy back on your suggestions for a successful wiki project, I just wanted to add the social media piece. You said that they could use a wiki to compare and contrast books, genres, book reviews, etc. I think that since our kids are so into social media that maybe embedding a link to the media center’s Facebook or Twitter page would be ideal for max participation.
Meghen, I like that you highlighted the differences between a wiki and a blog in your blog post. You pointed out some important factors when determining whether to use a blog or wiki. From your information I have determined that a wiki is better for group collaborations and the input of several people. A wiki allows for everyone to edit and grow on a top instead of commenting on a single post. Wikis seem like a great way to interact and build on a topic as compared to one person’s opinion that is expressed on in a blog. You have given some great resources in your post about different wikis and ways they can be used; I will defiantly use the information learned in this blog post in my future position. The idea for a course cheat sheet is interesting. I imagine that the teacher would need to monitor the wiki for the posting of incorrect answers and individual participation. This technology is a great way to learn and incorporate technology with the due diligence of the instructor monitoring the content and usage.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Wikis are an excellent tool for educators. However, I am going to have to disagree that Wikis are good sources for factual information. There are two reasons for this. The first reason is that many wikis are accessible for users to add or dispute information. This may lead to information that isn't necessarily factual. The other reason I do not feel wiki is a good source for factual information for students is because sometimes the information given is very in depth. It may be hard for students to comprehend and dissect the information. It is my belief that wikis are an excellent tool for educators to use as a source of Classroom Organization and Classroom Content. Teachers and Educators can set up wikis to inform students of what is going on in the classrooms and also to set up activities such as blogs, book lists, chat rooms, etc. I found some excellent samples of using wiki's for Media Centers at the following link...http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/--Wikis+to+Share
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I appreciate in your post is that you offer several links to wikis that show us how they are used in classrooms. As someone who has had little to no experience using wikis (aside from wikipedia, of course), I am interested in the collaborative value of this tool for the purposes of deepening the insight of our students. What I question, however, is whether or not it would really work without constant prompting. That being said, I immediately think of how necessary continuous oversight is in teaching anyway, so it just might be perfect. It would be interesting to see how the wiki comparing books to movies works out. I LOVE that idea! Not only does it validate the opinions of the students...even begs for them, but it requires that they've read the book to be able to make the comparison in the first place. Another idea is comparing themes in two entirely different stories to find similarities. I often used movies and books in my classroom to draw thematic comparisons and can see how a wiki would be a very useful forum for class discussion and debate. Thanks for the insightful post!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis was definitely informative for me. I do not know anybody at my school who uses a Wiki. That being said, the school I work at has pushed the use of google docs pretty heavily over the past couple of years so we put pretty much everything on there. Your post immediately made me think of ways I could put a Wiki into action that would benefit me in the media center. I have been trying to figure out how I can keep in touch with my upcoming 5th grade book club members over the summer and I think the use of a Wiki will work great. My students and I could write book reviews about the books we read throughout the summer. I also like the idea of having a "wish list" for the media center. I have a paper wish list for students and a google doc wish list for teachers, but it would be nice to create a wiki for all to use. The links that you provided were helpful for me to better understand the use of Wikis in the classroom and how to actually make it happen. The how to link is also helpful for someone like me who is new to the use of Wikis.
ReplyDeleteI love how you state as the saying goes the possibilities are endless! With all the resources available today that saying could not be more true. I have the least amount of experience with wikis but when reading and seeing them I can think of multiple ways to to fit them into my instruction and I get excited about trying something new. Your wish list idea is awesome. I keep saying that I think I could go paperless in my classroom and the more I see and learn about tools such as these I find that it may actually be possible.
ReplyDelete