Blog 1- Wiki's

Wikis…Yes, I’ve heard of them.  I have never ventured very far into exploring them because, well, simply put, I have been afraid of being overwhelmed by the extensiveness (think “Wikipedia”).   So when I saw it was this weeks topic, I took a deep breath and said, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!”

I first visited the suggested Vanderbilt website (http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/online-education/wikis/) and was ever glad I did!  Here I found a video titled “Wikis in plain English”- just what I needed.   I learned from this short video that wiki’s are, as I initially thought, open and editable websites.  These open and editable websites would be created by a specific person for a specific reason- unlike my imagination of Wikipedia and this vast, everlasting, overwhelming amount of information that you could never consume in one lifetime.  This new understanding of a collaborative workspace brought the beginnings of new ideas of how a person or group of people could benefit for having instant access and rights to edit on the spot.  As the video described, it could be a tool for planning (party planning, trip planning, agenda planning for conference calls or staff meetings, collaborative student groups, etc.).  No longer in my mind were Wiki’s extensive documents with information that may or may not be filled with accurate and would require further discernment after reading.

As I reviewed further suggested reading, most focused on the benefits of collaborative workspaces.  One particularly interesting perspective, which I can identify with, came from the Australian Journal of Educational Technology.  A study that polled students who were enrolled in masters level courses revealed mixed attitudes towards collaborative work as a whole, however the same students were positive towards the information sharing and knowledge arrangement that a group wiki could offer.  This made me think of some of the collaborative projects I have worked on (and currently are working on) during my courses, which have all been online.  I see how the use of a wiki for these groups could increase productivity by giving a editable work space that all members could gain access to at a time frame that is best for them.  I find coordinating meeting times since there is no actual face-to-face class to choose to simply stay after as a group always to be a challenge. My experience also has shown emailing work among each other to be at times cumbersome and time consuming as the entire group awaits “the next members” input.  Lastly, the workload would be more evenly divided since no one member would be responsible for assembling all the individual submissions into one cohesive, naturally transitioning project. Having a wiki specific to a group for completion of a collaborative assignment could increase productivity and just possibly make collaborative group projects more enjoyable for everyone involved.

All these possible uses being said, I began to think about how I could use a wiki in my 4^th grade classroom and in the future media center I will be the Media Specialist of.   I was fortunate to locate a couple very helpful websites to spark ideas.

The Connected Classroom: (http://theconnectedclassroom.wikispaces.com/)

Although I think this site might be a bit dated based on some of the images and references/links, it gave me the idea that I could present video clips I would want the students to have access to (converting YouTubes to Safeshare.tv links for safety of my students).   I also appreciated how she had the site laid out, with links broken into categories on the left.   (* Note to Media students- there is a Copyright & Fair Use link that has reader friendly info and a Slideshare presentation)  Her layout appeared to be multiple linked pages to her main home page.  This had me thinking for a class website, items could be subdivided easily by subject (elementary level) or class (middle/high level).  Items such as homework, videos, documents, links could all be stored under their appropriate header which would make it easy for students / parents to navigate.

I then visited the suggested Apalachee High School site.   Although I found it less visually appealing  (personal taste only) than The Connected Classroom, I noticed the set up was very similar.  There is a landing “home” page, and a wide variety of links to topics both on the side and below the main information.

All this line of thought and visits to pages, however, appeared to be falling under the conception that wiki spaces may just be large, electronic storage cabinets; that they are only deliverers on information as opposed to a site for student centered learning, collaboration and presentation. 

As I began to search in an effort to debunk this theory, I found the site:  Smart Teaching.org that hosts an article titled "50 Ways to use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom."  (http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/)

If you visit the site, you will see a few of my favorites that I could apply immediately in my current 4^th grade classroom. 

Virtual Field Trips (As we study the American Revolution and the events that led to it, grouped students could research and create an image based virtual field trip of The Freedom Trail in Boston.)

A Class Glossary:  students would enter academic language / terms used with definitions of each. This would be shared work and sorted according to topic. (Similar and in addition to individual illustrated glossaries that we already do in journals by subject)

Peer editing:  Students edit each other’s work for accuracy and conventions.  Editing and revising is a skill that is taught and constantly revisited.  This would give my students a new outlet and venue to do what we already do in a paper/pencil way.

Fan Clubs:  What a great idea!  Choosing a historical figure (Think Ben Franklin), students would post their favorite quotes, factoids, and photos/images creating a virtual fan club page!  (This could replace a Face Book simulation project we are doing right now)

Multi-author story:  Aligned with creative writing objectives, the class would create its own short story.  Given a basic prompt, each student would take a turn writing the next paragraph or entry based on reading the previous entries.   Reading the end product must be a blast!

After seeing how it could be an effective tool in todays classroom (mine in particular!), I began to think about uses if the future for a media center.   I first thought of a central hub of information.  Often Media Centers do not appear to have a high priority on a schools website or if they have a subpage on the schools website, they are often limited in scope and content by the program itself or the Webmaster.  Offering a link from the schools home page to a comprehensive website (via wiki) that offers links, learning opportunities and students activities that are in keeping with your posted mission statement would be a valuable tool in promoting your program.

Here are some possible items of inclusion I thought about that could easily be set up in a navigational format that would be easy for multiple types of users.

A schedule accessible to teachers.  This might include an editable calendar that could be used for:

           

            Whole class check out

            Whole class computer use

A “menu” of lessons that you offer for students that teachers may sign up for.

Book Fair scheduling

Your personal availability for collaboration with teachers.

A schedule accessible by volunteers. This would include and editable calendar that could be used for:

You posting specific needs (how many volunteers, special project volunteers)

Volunteers signing up for their desired time slots and projects.

A resource section for students & teachers

Links to appropriate websites and web 2.0 tools (preferably subdivided by grade and/or performance objectives.)

            A production area for students:

A “Book review” site.  Students review and rate books they have read and can respond to others.

A school online newspaper with student contributors and editors.

Study Buddy / Peer tutoring site:  Allow students who are available and willing to be a study buddy or peer tutor to post their areas of expertise.   This would give students who need assistance a peer to seek out for assistance.

These are just the beginnings of thought on how a wiki could serve to enhance a media centers services.  I am sure there are a multitude of others options to include, but as I began to ponder them, I realized that an effective OPAC system offers a lot of the items I thought of.  So, I created myself a somewhat rule of thumb to not include items that students and teachers could access through the OPAC.   I think Keep it Simple is always a good motto and by not deluging patrons with excessive amounts of information (hence, my initial fear of the similarity to Wikipedia), they are more likely to utilize the tools effectively. 

My final parting thoughts are that Wiki’s can be a very effective tool in both the classroom and the Media Center.  It is, however, the curator’s responsibility to see that it is not simply an electronic filing cabinet for out of date information and that it is an outlet for student learning and production.  This appears to be a very viable, low cost option for small schools, districts, media centers and classrooms that have not adopted a full-scale electronic classroom model.  And even in the larger districts that have developed/ purchased a platform to host online course support, a Wiki can still be a valuable link that is equally accessible to other educators, parents and students.