Thing #16 Wikis!

Having a classroom wiki has transformed the way I teach.

For Teachers: It is the portal in which I communicate with students and parents. I have a homework calendar link which can be accessed 24/7. Parents or students cannot use the excuse, “I didn’t know about an assignment," because it is posted online. I also like it because I can share the students’ artwork and photos of the students engaged in learning. I post my daily power points on the wiki for students who are absent or for those who just want to review what we did in class on a particular day. One of the best features is that it a place where students can easily access research links all on one page. This drastically reduces the time most students would waste on finding websites for research. I could go on and on about this awesome tool….I don’t think I could teach without it!

For Students: Students are able to participate in online discussions, upload their projects, and there’s even a feature where the students can email each other. Most of the Web 2.0 tools can be embedded into the wiki, and my students are in the process of uploading their Jing videos they made of Egypt. You can check out the videos on the Ramsey HR Egypt Project page on the wiki. Check it out at:
http://georamsey.wikispaces.com/

Weakness: The one weakness that I have found is that only one person at a time can make changes to a wiki. So, if teachers want students to upload their projects, it may take a long time for 23 students to upload their projects one at a time.

One last thing: In addition to the great wiki’s listed on the Library2play site, here is the wiki that has 99 Ideas Your Library Can Use. This wiki was shared at the 2010 TLA Conference in San Antonio. It is like being in a candy store with a pocket full of money! Yum!