Wikis! (week 2)

People (and I have found this to be true of myself) tend to confuse wikis and blogs.  Blogs allow one person (the owner) to create posts and then others viewing the blog can comment on the posts.  Wikis, however, allow anyone (sometimes permission is required) to post and edit them (think Wikipedia).  Wikis, in my experience, can be a great tool to use in projects.  They allow students to work together and collaborate on a while new level, however, they must be used correctly or they can lose all meaning as a true wiki.  When creating and using a wiki, I feel it is important to make sure that the students stay on-topic and that any posted information is relevant to the discussion/project in order to avoid a giant jumble of information.

I have created two wikis in previous courses that I am very excited to use in my classroom.  The first was a digital story kit covering women during WWII and the second was a class wiki for an exchange student project.   I love the fact that wikis require no special software or programs to operate and can be accessed and participated in from any computer (or smart phone!).  This is important to me because it means that students can work on the projects and collaborate with each other at any time and from anywhere - the project is not limited to the classroom or library like they can be with many other projects that require special software.  Wikis have been used at my school, but not to a great extent, so I do understand why the text classifies them as "emerging technologies" -- the big thing the past year or so has been Moodle, but I am hoping they will catch on!

I found a wiki related to teen literacy that I really like.  The wiki titled "Literacy in the Classroom - 21st Century Style" is essentially a wiki comprised of book reviews that students can post, add to, and edit.  The wiki is password protected, which I feel gives it a little more of a sense of reliability because not just any person off the street can add or edit.  One commenter stated, "I am glad you posted this where I can leave my booktalks, and I won't feel stupid about loving to read."  This is another thing I find appealing about wikis in general - people with similar interests can come together and work together on something they like and are passionate about!  The wiki is not that thrilling visually and does not appear to have been updated for a while, however, it is well organized and the information is still relevant and useful to those looking for book recommendations.  As co-sponsor of my school's book club, I would like to try to start a very similar wiki for our library!  Such a great idea!

I also discovered a wiki that appears to be part of a secondary english or literature class.  The wiki is extremely attractive, organized, and well laid out.  There are pages and links for different novels the students are reading and each page then links to projects, discussions, etc. for the students to use.  There appears to be good collaboration between the students and there is evidence or revisions and reworking of the student work based upon comments from classmates.  The wiki does have so much information and so many pages that I did find myself getting a little lost at times.  I am sure, however, that the layout and information makes much better sense to the students in the classes.

I think that, as far as curriculum is concerned, the second wiki would be the most effective.  It contains specific activities and content directed towards specific content goals.  The first wiki is geared towards getting students to actively participate in reading and writing, however it appears that it is used as an optional activity and not a required part or a class as the second wiki is.  The second wiki also appears to require much higher-level thinking and more in-depth, guided work than the first does.  Both wikis, however, appear to be effective when it comes to literacy in the classroom.

I found a site called Wikitionary in my searches that I thought was pretty neat - I have a hard time keeping up with some of the "lingo" of the students and this site allows them to add and edit word definitions that may not be in my Webster's dictionary just yet :)  I would not allow it to be used as an academic resource, but it is fun and can be useful for everyday use :)


click HERE for a wiki on the pros and cons of wikis :)


(http://teachbytes.com/category/cartoons/page/2/)

Resources:

http://westwilkeswickedwiki.pbworks.com/w/page/13929096/FrontPage

http://booktalk.pbworks.com/w/page/14903944/FrontPage

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Main_Page

Useful sites and ideas

Thinglink!! SO fun!
http://www.thinglink.com/

Interesting ways to use technology in the classroom:
http://notanotherhistoryteacher.edublogs.org/2012/02/20/interesting-ways-to-use-technology-in-the-classroom/

This website, while about 10 years old, give a good introductory look at using technology to enhance literacy instruction
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/reading/li300.htm

here are some ideas of ways to integrate technology into the classroom (make sure it is meaningful!)
http://www.classroomtech.org/integration/50ways.htm

Loved the title of this one: 12 Ways to Use Technology in Your Classroom, Even for Technophobic Teachers
http://www.teachhub.com/12-easy-ways-use-technology-your-classroom-even-technophobic-teachers

Hello! my introduction

Hello! My name is Jennifer and this is pretty much my first time creating and using a blog!  This is my first semester and second course of the MET program at MOBAP and I am very excited to be a part of this program.  I currently hold a Master's in Education in Curriculum and Instruction and I have also completed most of the coursework in the Educational Specialist program, all also at MOBAP.  I have taught for 6 years around the St. Louis area, teaching High School English, Social Studies, Resource, Health, and I have even served as an assistant librarian.  

For this course, I hope to learn more about how to effectively integrate technology into my lessons and classroom.  Technology is available in some capacity in nearly every school, however, so often teachers include technology without it serving any real purpose - they want to meet requirements set by their district or to just simply say they use technology in their classroom.  I would like the technology that I integrate to have a purpose and lend to deeper student learning and understanding.  Students use so much technology in their everyday lives and sometimes it seems like they are in a 'time warp' when they go to school and face a paper text book and a chalkboard.  I really believe that the days of the spiral notebook are numbered and it will soon be replaced by iPads and netbooks in our schools and classrooms.  I am in the MET program to learn how to stay up to date with this evolution so I can remain an effective teacher.



(image courtesy of http://technologyandclassrooms.blogspot.com/2010/10/benefits-of-technology-in-schools.html)