Wikis are wonderful for the classroom! They are a simple and safe way for students to publish their work on the web. Since students are not supposed to sign up for accounts, most educational versions of wikis allow the teacher to set up accounts for the students without an email address. This makes the process so much easier. At the same time this makes wikis the type of project that requires more teacher planning than other types of web 2.0 projects.
Another great aspect about Wikis is that students can feel successful without having any previous experience with web site creation. The format is very simple to add text and images. It is super easy to embed videos, glogs, and anything else that has an embed code. I like to take this time to explain basic html code and how to customize embed codes.
The one slightly negative aspect is when students edit the wrong area. Usually I set up all the pages and assign them to students, but there is always someone that will edit the home page because it is the first one they see. The revision history option is perfect to avoid student meltdowns when they think their work is lost.
I thought I would share some of my wiki projects that I have used in the past. When I first created a wiki project, students had to create a virtual zoo. In teams, they created pages that detailed one animal. Some of the requirements included informational text, images with citations, and videos if possible.
Another wiki was Summer recommendations. Students had to suggest places to visit over the summer. The classes loved this project because they felt like travel experts.
My favorite wiki project was called, “Brand of Me.” 8th grade students worked on creating a personal brand using various web 2.0 tools. The wiki allowed the student to put all of their creations in one area along with reflections on the process.
Wow Selena, you are already a wikxpert! What cool ideas for wikis that you have already used. I like the idea of each student having their own page. The zoo idea could even be adapted for as young as Kindergarten! Thank you for sharing these wonderful ideas. I have more food for thought for a wiki to roll out for my current second grade students. I am going to work on it this weekend, that way I have one week to demonstrate with them and wham they are good for summer :D I just want to make sure they are reading and maintaining skills this summer so they don't loose what I put so much work into their gaining!!
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely on top of the web 2.0 tools. I love that you shared the benefits of the wikis and how you have used them with your classes. I also like that you shared how your students felt about using them in their learning. Your description really gives me the "I can do this!" feeling! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool...I hope I can do this too on my own blog. So does it mean that the teacher have control over what the students create on their site? I think I have that understanding. i am not sure.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear about revision history. I am new to wiki so I am still trying to find my way through. The projects that you shared are practical and can be used for every grade level and believe it or not it can be adapted for dance. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe ideas you used for your class were great, getting the students to create a virtual zoo using the images and videos give students a variety of thoughts and expressions they can display. This really does make the page creation easier and accessible for students to adapt too when creating their pages. I'm still learning how to create pages myself on wiki, with this bit of information I just learn to embed videos of my own.
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