I am excited about the idea of Wikis for student collaboration and discussion. I think it would give reluctant learners an opportunity to discuss ideas and give input when they do not feel comfortable speaking out in class. How can you tell on the wiki who has participated and who hasn't?
I think it would be great for students to discuss what they have learned, plan projects and answer questions about the content they are learning.
I would love to incorporate this into my classroom next year and learn along with the students. My concern as it has been all along is having the technology available for all students to participate. Our school is so limited on access to technology for all classes.
I am having difficulty understanding the differences in Wikis and Blogs and which one would be best to begin with.
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Great response and questions! Let me see if I can clear a few things up...
ReplyDeleteAs far as seeing who has made what changes to a wiki, it depends on which wiki site you're using. Some have options that require editors to submit their names when they edit the wiki; others do not. Some teachers require students to end each submission with thier name or a code name in order to track each individual's input. Additionally, most wikis have a page that allows you to track changes to the site (like a "history" page), and some teachers keep track of student participation that way.
Regarding the difference between blogs and wikis, I tend to think of blogs as more of a discussion tool. If your purpose is to keep students informed about classroom news, assignments, and discussions, or to prompt students with a discussion question and allow them to respond individually, then you're probably better off using a blog. Wikis are more "open" in access, by which I mean that students have more freedom in how they contribute. For example, your wiki may contain a main class page which any student can edit, or you might develop individual pages for different groups, where group members can work together on an assigment or project. Wikis are also great for collecting resources. You might create a few pages, each on an important topic, and allow students to post websites, videos, or other resources they've discovered related to those topics.
As you pointed out, access to computers is going to be an issue with either tool, so it's probably best to start with a small assignment and encourage student use and interaction from there. You could always try both and get feedback from the kids on what works best for them.
Great response! Thing 5 complete!