Thing #8 What is a Wiki

To wiki or not to wiki, that is the question.  At this point, although I have read each and every link on the "23 Things" assignment sheet I am still a bit puzzled as to how to utilize this technology.  I was wowed when I read The Flat Classroom Projects wiki based on Friedman's book, The World Is Flat.  I have more research to do in this area though.  I can envision some ways of using this in our classrooms to reach out and communicate with students in other countries but I may have to depend on my teachers and students to figure out how to make that come together.  As I go through this class though, I have found that if I take this technology I am learning about to my teachers, they get excited and find unique ways to present and use it with each other and many times with our students.   I am modeling the use of wiki's with my science teachers by creating a supply list for their 3rd six weeks.  We will see how that goes.

I also read the CodeBlue wiki which has links on its wiki leading to information about body systems.  I shared this wiki with  my 7th grade Science teachers and they are using it as a teaching tool in classrooms.  I am encouraging them to allow the students to create a wiki about a research topic and play around with it.  We can begin this year and build on it from year to year.  I am finding that the teachers feel as though there is no time to incorporate this.  I'm struggling with how to assist them in incorporating this type of activity into their day instructionally.  I've contact Kelly Soliz, our Technology Resource person,  to see how we can get started and stay on target in the scope and sequence of our curriculum.

If you get a chance, take a look at the Discovery Utopia Project.  It is quite intriguing.  The site has students creating a utopian society with all of the bells and whistles.  This site allows students to do some in-depth thinking and research, yet fosters their individual attitudes about what they learn.  As they learn more about what societies and governments are they can tweak their own virtual society.

Most all of the wiki's were organized in the same manner.  They had a menu on the left and their content on the right.  They shared links, had collaborative ideas, and were easy to navigate through.  Most had helpful links in case you had questions about the wiki.

I'm still wrapping my brain around the application piece of a wiki other than creating a supply list as I mentioned earlier.  I will continue to look over more wiki's and explore how to implement them into our classrooms.  I need more wiki walking!!!