Thing 7—wikis in the classroom
Vicki Davis provides noteworthy enthusiasm for using wikis in the classroom. After investigating three wikis, including Vicki’s, several observations came to mind. Not all wikis are created equal.
In 1001 Flat World Tales, three schools from very different locations (South Korea, Hawaii, and Colorado) collaborated to write a creative story about aliens threatening to annihilate Earth. The aliens tell the humans that if they can write an entertaining story, their lives will be spared.
The vast web allows people from across the world to readily communicate at one click. The first thought that comes to my mind is how these Web 2.0 tools change the nature of relationships. This particular wiki allows individuals to listen to podcasts of students reading their work. This interactive mode creates bonds between students across borders, and they not only learn how to improve their writing, but also learn about various cultures.
This project could be easily utilized in my own classroom. It is a very unique way of approaching various texts that may be challenging for students to sink their teeth into (e.g. The Odyssey, Beowulf, The Tempest, Tartuffe, Notes from Underground, etc.). Students can write creatively, review the current literature, and create something new. This helps break the chains of teacher oriented instruction. This wiki provides a creative introduction, tasks, rubrics, and tips for writing a good story. Students and the teachers are the judges of the stories.
One word describes the Kindergarten Counting Book–limited. It is, however, still on the creative side. The wiki page may be in the elementary stages of development (no pun intended). It presents pictures of food, school related items, etc., to represent each number. I did like how the students (although it doesn’t indicate the author) chose the objects for each photo and counted them out. They may have even taken the photos. These are obviously valuable skills for kindergarteners.
One of my concerns was that there were some inappropriate ad links that kindergarteners should not be able to access (Miley Cyrus fans, James Bond quotes—with a picture of a cigarette hanging out of Bond’s mouth). These ads and links were under the “Photo Gallery,” so if little Johnny is learning about the number seven, he can click on James Bond quotations or a paparazzi photo link. I don’t think so.
In Vicki Davis’ Cool Cat Teacher blog site, she includes student wikis. Vicki’s student wiki pages seem like they would be extremely helpful tools to use in the classroom. Students could work with a partner in the computer lab and create a wiki page for the literature they are reading and create categories such as themes, symbols, analysis, test reviews, summer reading review, etc. The only objection I had was that some students used Cliffnotes as the link to their pages and did not create their own review. Also, students did not provide sourcesfor their information, a plagiarism faux pas.
Overall, the idea of using wikis in the classroom is a definite possibility. Right now, I can begin working on ones to review the summer reading.
