The Wiki World

Wikis are being used more and more in the classroom. It is a way to integrate technology into learning, and is an excellent way for students to collaborate with others. As I discussed in my previous blog, we need to teach our students how to learn, not just subjects and content. We must help them to build their knowledge, and learn how to continue to build outside of class and in their day to day lives. Lyndsay Grant said in her case study on Wikis in schools:
knowledge-building is a collaborative activity and that learners take responsibility for their own learning goals, identifying the problems and gaps in their understanding of a subject, and deciding how to solve these problems (http://www.futurelab.org.uk/download/pdfs/research/disc_papers/Wikis_in_Schools.pdf)
Wikis are opening doors in classrooms that weren't available before. The main opportunity that comes with Wikis is collaboration. Students can now post their ideas, learning, and knowledge, and in return they can get responses from other students, build their knowledge from others, and grow as a learner. As a current student, I can use Wikis to share information with students that I am working with. Rather than trying to arrange a time that we can all get together, and schedule our busy lives around each other, we can post our thoughts and work on Wikis.
As a teacher I can use Wikis to create a space where students can post assignments, look at the class outline, view rubrics and other evaluation information, share links to helpful information, and many other things. Wikis are a great way for me to see my students learning in progress. As opposed to only seeing how much they've learned at the end of a unit or by giving a test, I can see their growth and thoughts in progress by what they post on the Wiki. Another wonderful thing about class Wikis is that students can access information from anywhere. If they have the technology available at home, they can continue to learn and participate at home. Plus, I can assign responsibilities to students. For example, each week a new student can be in charge of posting the homework each day. Another student could be in charge of updating the class events page. Overall, I believe Wikis are a great learning tool, encourage class cohesion, and promote collaboration.