Thing 7: It’s a Wiki Wiki World
I was very impressed by all of the wikis I visited. I loved the idea of the Code Blue wiki. I think creating a wiki medical clinic for students learning about the human body is so clever. This approach seemed to create a sense of ownership for the students. I love the fact that different students worked for different clinics and had their own medical specialties. I have visited the Go West wiki on westward expansion before, and I was equally impressed when I visited it this time. I like the fact that the teachers involved posted a reflection on their wiki experience. I would love to read reflections by the students who participated. I’m sure they enjoyed the experience and learned so much! I love the “Turn Homeward, Hanalee” wiki. This gave me so many ideas for creating a literature study for third grade. Wow!
I would love to have a wiki in my future. That is one of my goals. The Turn Homeward, Hanalee wiki gave me some great ideas! I would love to have my students work on a wiki for a couple of the books we read during the year. I think the meaning-making aspect of creating the wiki would boost comprehension immensely. The collaborative nature of wikis make them very appealing for use within my classroom. Both the Code Blue and Go West wikis have inspired me to use a wiki to cover content-area learning. I have been thinking about creating a Titanic wiki for a couple of years, and this is something I plan to pursue. Not only will my students learn so much through the process, but they will be so proud of their own work!
I like the organization of material on the wikis. The table of contents section on each wiki makes them easy to navigate. I like the variety of media used in the wikis. This allows students to experience the material in many ways. Wikis encompass so many learning goals. Students may do research, define vocabulary, demonstrate understanding/comprehension, and synthesize information. At first the thought of creating a wiki may seem daunting – my students (and I) will need some coaching at the beginning of the wiki process. After some consideration, I think the wiki will be just like our blog…once we get started, we’ll have it down in no time at all!
I am eager to get going on my wikis! 
2 Responses to “Thing 7: It’s a Wiki Wiki World”
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I love that wikis give the students a real, authentic audience. So many times students feel they are writing for the teacher or just a partner in their class. Now they are writing for everyone “out there”. I also love the collaborative possibilities of the wiki and the idea of student ownership.
techbabble,
The aspect of the authentic audience has been so motivating for my class of bloggers, so I am eager to see that same sense of motivation when we start a wiki. It is amazing how much effort my students put into their work on the blog. Wiki, here we come!