Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Wiki Walk-Through

Wikis kinda confuse me... so in an effort to dispel the mysteries of the work of wikis, I've done a little bit of research:
  • WWW.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/ - a site that lets any visitor become a participant, it is continuously under revision and is a collaboration of many people sharing in the creative process. The word "wiki" means 'quick' or 'fast'. Wikis are used mainly by educators to conduct or follow-up after professional development workshops, communication tool with parents or students participating in their development.

Ways a wiki can be used in the classroom (information taken from www.teachersfirst.com):

  • travelogue from a field trip -- or a NON field trip the class would like to take (Our non-trip to the zoo and what we wish we had seen)
  • "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Mrs. Eyring's Class" -- students can contribute to an ongoing list of how education spills over into the real world
  • What I think will be on the test -- others can contribute
  • FAQ or NSFAQ (Not So Frequently Asked Questions) about a unit of study
  • On-going vocabulary lists and examples of words -- contributed by students
  • Study guides made up by students for students
  • Students write about how they used math to solve a real world problem
  • Groups explain the steps to a mathematical procedure, such as factoring a polynomia or converting a decimal to a fraction
  • Students demonstrate numbers as many ways as possible
  • Student made glossary of scientific terms with illustrations and definitions
  • Observations from field sites, such as water testing in local water streams
  • A collection of propaganda examples during a propaganda unit
  • Detailed and illustrated descriptions of government processes -- how to bill becomes a law
  • A "fan club" of your favorite president
  • A continuing story in which your class adds a sentence using a new vocabulary word

Sample Wikis:

Here are some Tutorials and Guides for creating a wiki:

The information out there is limitless..... I think I now have a better understanding of how I can use wikis in my classroom.... Thanks, google.com, for your nifty search engine!

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