So, my first experience with Wiki was in Dr. Cooper's MEDT 7474. Was this anyone else's first time? I like the collaboration inherent in Wikis and I love trying out new technologies in instruction, So now, I wish I didn't work with first graders, who by and large and read and type very well. I guess I can use wikis more from a professional collaboration standpoint, in fact, I just today received a link to a teacher's wiki full of great first grade resources.
I was wondering about the editing rights to wikis. In our courses, you have to be a member of the wiki to access and edit, but based on my readings, many wikis are for a whole community of users, and so the individual invite is not really possible. The openness of the wiki experience means users have to have some guidelines about, hopefully, some common sense about what they write, post, and delete. (We have a T-Drive at school, which is the share drive. It's amazing how many professionals still don't know the difference between SAVE and SAVE AS...but I digress.)
The article "Wiki's in a K12 Classroom" listed 12 ideas for using wikis, of which my favorite 3 were the elementary reader's circle, collaboration between teachers, and the student portfolio. (I wonder if the portfolio online would provide students an easy way to plagiarize?? What could be done to prevent this?) We have already seen in our coursework the fabulous way that a wiki can grow from a blank nothingness to a thriving page full of contributions. It's amazing.
I loved my team member, Nikki's link to YouTube "Wiki's In Plain English". "All you need is these two buttons: Edit and Save." I thought I would add to the fun with my own little YouTube, also appropriate after this week's Presidential Debate. In this ficticious debate between Kennedy and Nixon, the two debate the merits of Wikis vs. Blogs. Hilarious, and very true. Both positions also tie in nicely with our debate on internet filtering.
As I was researching on the topic of Wikis, I found a wiki from a Rutgers program,
Why Wiki? Why Not?
It focuses on using a wiki in libraries as a dialogue between patrons and media specialists.The best page in their wiki was the Do's and Don'ts page.
Here are my favorite Do and Don't
"DON'T allow the wiki to be just an extension of your homepage! If the library staff are the only ones participating, you might as well have a static webpage. The crucial difference about a wiki is its collaborative nature and its ability to foster a sense of community. Stimulate conversation and interaction between patrons and staff, and among the patrons."
"DO define goals. Don't implement a wiki just because everyone else is doing it. Have a specific purpose (or two) in mind, such as creating a community events clearinghouse, creating a space for library patrons' voices to be heard on issues of interest, creating a forum for interaction centered around user interests (book clubs, sports teams, etc.). Above all, the patrons have to find the end result to be useful and engaging."
"DO recognize that different patrons have different needs. Seniors and teens will have different interests, so divide the wiki accordingly. Creating "mini-wikis" within your main wiki allows you to create communities for all of your demographics."
Well, folks, that's what I learned about Wikis. (And now I know why Wikipedia is so successful, and yet can be so questionable!)
Feel free to write me back!
Why Wiki? Why Not? Retrieved from http://eden.rutgers.edu/~dmatturr/550/finalproject/finalprojectindex.html
I'm so glad I read this post! I teach first grade as well and have been wondering how to incorporate Wiki's with 6 year olds. :) If you don't mind sharing your resource you mentioned you recieved I'd love to see it. I find it difficult when to start students on the overwhelming knowledge of technology and it's benefits. After reading your post, it seems I know how more questions to ponder about using Wiki's. :)
ReplyDeleteThis wiki is called Mathacs. It's full of first grade resources...so the kids aren't using wiki, but as teachers, we can use them to share stuff.
DeleteI am just trying to teach my 1st graders how to use bookmarks, save files into a folder on a certain drive, and use shift to capitalize. They're not ready for wikis yet.
https://owa.cobbk12.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=6afWpR8RhkW-o9BUk3TetNpWn6hIeM8IkH415Benbj1j4QMaIRAOGVEdEfRZyVlCfjUYi_RkRWY.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fmathacs.wikispaces.com%2fFirst%2bGrade%2bResources
I have so much to comment about! I loved reading your blog and really enjoyed the You Tube video. :)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, yes, my first experience with Wikis was the past summer in 7474, and I did not have a good first impression. When I was working on the first Pathfinder, I kept trying to move the images. I could not get them to move for anything! I was so very frustrated. Then I wanted all our submissions to look the same. Good luck with that!
I had to chuckle about your "SAVE" and "SAVE AS" comment. I roll my eyes every time I go to our T Share and try to access the field trip forms. Invariably some teacher has not followed the instructions!
I do like the "Do define goals" on your list. I agree. Wikis should have a group of collaborators that really understand how it will be used and who the audience will be. Teachers, administrators, media specialists, etc. should not just create a Wiki because they will seem "cool." There should be a end result in mind!
Great blog, Susan. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts!
Great Blog Susan. I teach kindergarten and I just feel defeated when it comes to technology and kindergarten. Just like you my first experience with wiki was in Dr. Coopers class Medt 7474. I do really like using the wiki. Sometimes I find it frustrating trying to locate it or add files to it. I got really confused when trying to upload the internet operations to our class wiki. I could only see a part of it. We have a shared drive at school and the Save Save as button it still confusing to many of our staff members as well. I like how you have included your Do's and Don'ts. I think it is important that you have mini wikis with in so that everyone's need is met. Your point about wikipedia is also very valid. Great Job. Also nice job on embedding your video! :)
ReplyDeleteTuesday, October 9, 2012Wikis L.Carnes
ReplyDeleteWikis in education can be a very useful tool. I think that wikis have the potential to be very useful for group work. Since they allow all members to be able to access and publish information to the internet, everyone else in the group can see changes immediately. In a professional setting this is a useful tool. I worry about using this tool in the classroom with students though. I think that it would be labor intensive to monitor the postings and ensure that all content was appropriate all of the time, since the wikis can be updated anytime day or night. I think that wikis have a more useful application in the area of professional development. For example, if a committee was working on new goals for the school or a new school improvement plan, they would be well served by a wiki where they could post their ideas and make changes as well as communicate with one another online.