Wikis in the Classroom

FFor this assignment we were to find three articles on the internet related to using wikis in education.

The first article I found is a collection of creative ideas a teacher may use for wikis in various age and subject areas.


I found this article to be interesting because they use wikis on more than a research basis (which is the only way I have used them in school). I learned that there are more effective and creative ways, ways that are sure to engage the students more. Not only can they be used for interactive thematic units, but for study guides and frequently asked questions as well. Using wikis can appeal to all types of learners. As some learn better while studying with others, wikis are the perfect solution to study "woes." They're a way to reach out to absent students on what they've missed in class, or even for the absent student who may be on vacation with family to post about their adventures. The website discusses the various reasons to use wikis such as, connections, creativity, engagement, interpersonal, writing, and metacognition, among many others. For the math teacher, they can be used for students to edit questions they may not have understood for homework. For the science teacher, a wiki can be used to document field experiments and other labs. The social studies enthusiast may use one for a mock debate, where the two sites can post counter arguments immediately. The Language Arts teacher might use a wiki for a collaborative book review. Whichever way a teacher may use wikis, they are an immediate source to providing prompt feedback and answers in and out of the classroom. They also can be extremely fun and interactive.

For the second article I decided to look at using wikis at higher education levels, such as college. The article was posted on a Boston College webpage:
http://idesweb.bc.edu/ides/website/teaching_tools/wikis/benefits

One thing I found that were particularly interesting was the focus on collaborative learning. The article centered around how wikis are used to teach and learn from others, as well as build more critical thinking skills. The five bulleted points reflected on this webpage were: Facilitates collaborative authoring, empowers students to create knowledge, reflects newly-emerging teacher student paradigm, prepares students for the post-university world, and encourages creativity. The approach differs from the first article in that it relates more to using wikis as a tool for community engagement and negotiating, rather than just creative assignments.

The last article I looked at gave a specific and detailed example of how one particular teacher used wikis in the classroom.
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/leading_from_the_classroom/2010/11/are_your_students_using_wikis_to_strengthen_vocabulary_skills.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+LeadingFromTheClassroom+(Leading+From+the+Classroom)

The teacher used wikis as a way to connect individual student assignments into a portal for a classroom page strengthening vocabulary. The students posted explanations of their assigned words, as well as pictures, descriptions of parts of speech, games, etc. What I found most interesting about this webpage is the emphasis on vocabulary instruction, a lesson that has been lacking in recent generations. It provides an outlet for self learning, while being engaged with peers. It's always easier to teach when the lessons are more creative and interactive.