I've heard the term wikis before in training but never really saw or played around with them. The first one I went to was a 5th Grade Class' called The Thousand Project. Basically it's a 5th grade from Duluth, Minnesota and they want people to log into their wiki and edit a giant list of what you plan on doing. I hope seeing more people from different parts of the world adding to their list makes them happy.
The second one I went to was the Holocaust Wiki Project. It took forever to load and at first I was getting really peeved about it. Then when I started clicking around I realized that it's like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book from my youth. You can click on 2 options, such as comply with Nazis or obtain false papers. What a great way to teach students about a subject that many don't feel is important. (I died twice but managed to get into Switzerland once)
The third wiki I went to was Go West. It's a 3rd grade wiki and looks like it. However, it DOES contain a vast amount of information and I'm sure that it's a great way to introduce kids to the Oregon Trail AND basic computer editing.
Can I use this in my classroom? To be totally honest I'm not sure. For the most part, my students do not have the internet at home. Now this in itself is not a big problem, but I DO have several students who only see the internet as a place to play games or watch videos. Now I COULD use a classroom wiki to try and show them that the "internets" are not just for fun and games, but I'll be honest, at this time I don't feel confidant enough with wikis to take the helm so to speak. Also, I have a very fluid classroom make-up. We have had to re-group our students here several times in the last 2 months for behavioral issues.
However, I DO feel that a classroom wiki would be a great way to display projects. The one aspect of the Holocaust Wiki Project is that it was VERY apparent that each group of students was entirely responsible for creating their own pages. I think that this is a step that I can move to for next year.
"I'll be honest, at this time I don't feel confidant enough with wikis to take the helm so to speak."
ReplyDeleteIf you're even remotely interested, then start small. You do NOT have to get your kids involved from the start. It can be a base for your classroom at first. Then you could always create a second wiki for your kids to use at a later time.
Remember that Internet access at home doesn't need to be there for the kids to participate. If you set up a project where they do it in small steps, then they can do everything from school. The nice thing about behavioral issues and wikis is that the kids don't have to work face-to-face and side by side. They just need to do their part if that's how you set up an activity.
As you see, I really like wikis and could go on and on. Just do what you feel comfortable with at first, but I would of course love to encourage you to try a wiki for yourself at least for the classroom.