Thing 21

It seems to me that wikis may be used almost like a class website or for a specific project that involves student collaboration. The example given in the video on how wikis work made it seem at first that it was similar to using google docs for collaboration, but it is much more than that. I have seen that wikis can be wonderful collaborative tools and kids seem to enjoy using them.

After glancing at the wikis listed, I viewed many examples of collaborative wikis. One that impressed me was Mr. Wildeboer's Integrated Science wiki from Fitch High School in Groton, CT. The original wiki listed is no longer actively used, but there was a link to his new wiki (or maybe a website). http://www.mrwfitch.com/

The site is attractive, well organized, and seems relatively easy to navigate. I like the tabs he has at the top of the page for parents, grading, social media, etc. along with links to his classes to the left. There are links to many documents,  his Twitter feed, and to YouTube, where he has Mr. W Fitch Science Channel. It is pretty impressive to me.

Hurdles that stand in the way of doing something like that- time and lack of skill. It looks like it takes a lot of time and know-how to set up and then maintenance would be difficult. I have enough trouble keeping my edline pages up to date! There seems to be so much more to do from the standpoint of the classroom teacher, and less time to get it done. I actually looked into creating a class wiki last summer on pbworks (several of my team members have their own sites) but when reminded of edline coming our way, I decided to put it off. I am not sure there is a need for both now that edline is being used in the district. I do see wikis being valuable for certain collaborative projects. I have used them a few times , and I hope the one I created this spring on pbworks can be used for Thing 22.