Picture from http://www.tcnj.edu/~caliend2/index.html
Monday, November 15, 2010
Wikis and the classroom
Wikis have potential to enhance cooperative learning in the classroom because they are so collaborative in nature. In an elementary school setting, I would be interested to see if teachers are using them to collect material throughout the school year in anticipation of standardized tests in the spring. Someone suggested last week using a wiki in this way as a tool for SOL testing. As an educator, I could see how wikis could be a dynamic way for a team of teachers to plan a unit of study. When we meet to discuss things like this, the conversation quickly drifts to other topics. A wiki devoted to one goal would allow each teacher to contribute resources and ideas on their own time and produce a better finished product.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Jen,
ReplyDeleteI think this would be a great use for wikis in the classroom. I know that I am always looking for new lesson ideas, and this would be such a cool format for the grade level team to come together and share their ideas/resources. Like you mentioned, as a team, you could also make sure the right SOL information was being covered in the different units. A great tool to make sure the whole grade level was on the same page.
Our class also discussed using wikis, or even blogs, as a forum to keep the parents involved. I think a wiki would be fun because the kids could even get involved and work on the same wiki, rather than a classroom blog done by the teacher or parent volunteer. There are definitely some great opportunities for incorporating wikis into the classroom. I am looking forward to trying them out in the future.
Hope you had a great weekend :)
I had not thought of how useful a wiki would be to encourage cooperation and collaborative learning. That is an interesting way to look at it and definitely highlights another benefit of wikis. Students could use wikis for the Global Awareness Technology Project they do in fifth grade. Most students do powerpoint presentations or digital stories, but the wikis or a blog would be a unique way for them to demonstrate their knowledge and be exposed to new technology.
ReplyDeleteI think teachers should use wikis as well. I know it would be beneficial for the fifth grade team I am on, as it would be a communal place to share lessons, ideas, and projects, instead of the countless emails that we share all day. I am going to suggest this to my team. We have talked about using wikis in the classroom as parent communication and student use, but teachers can use them to make their lives easier, too! It would also allow for more sharing, that sometimes we do not have time to do in our meetings.