I am not teaching yet, but I know one of the first tasks I will do is create a wiki for the classroom. I will start with creating a wiki for the classroom before having the students create a wiki because it gives them an applicable example. However, I will eventually integrate a student wiki into the lesson plan.
AUTHOR
Initially, I am the author of the class wiki. However, as students become familiar with the concept, I will enable student editing so that it is a living document to be improved upon, altered, and added to as the year progresses. Eventually, I want the students to feel ownership of the wiki by integrating their own graphics and enhancing its organization as applicable.
Through my online research, I discovered The English Experience @ SFHS. This is a classroom wiki that was created through Wikis in Education. I think this provides a detailed and creative example for a classroom wiki. It is well organized with both visual links to specific wikipages and a menu list along the left.
TARGET AUDIENCE
The primary audience of the classroom wiki will be the students. However, I will incorporate communication to the parents about the wiki so they may review it too. I will encourage their input for suggestions. Perhaps they will want specific information added for their use or a separate wiki specific to meet their needs for information. I will alert the parents of the wiki weblinks that will display specific work the students have completed throughout the year as well.
PURPOSE
The purpose of my classroom wiki is to incorporate the learning objectives and assignments for the year into an online platform to be communicated to the students. It will be educational in nature as opposed to administrative. For example, the wikipages will include the syllabus, assignments, study guides, and other resources. As I mentioned, I want the wiki to evolve through the school year however. Students will eventually contribute to the wiki. One avenue for contribution will be the Frequently Asked Questions area. Students can input their questions about an assignment or other relevant class issues and I can respond. This is a great way to initiate their interaction with the wiki.
I think the classroom wiki will successfully integrate lower level tasks like compiling and communicating information with encouraging higher level tasks such as critical thinking. The resource links and discussion boards will be structured to support students in completing their assignments. These areas of the wiki will engage students to acquire new knowledge and synthesize current knowledge. I will include questions on these wikipages that encourage analysis and evaluation of the materials and discussion comments.
I think the 10 Best Practices For Using Wikis In Education is a helpful guide for creating the classroom wiki. For example, for collaborative activities, I will be sure to define a common goal to help motivate the students to work together. I will give parameters that identify the specific role of the students for the activity, clearly defining the activity, and presenting how it will be assessed. This will give the students focus and direction for completing the collaborative task.
As I mentioned initially, the classroom wiki will serve as an example for a future assignment that requires the students to collaboratively create their own wiki. The first step of the assignment will be a Wiki WebQuest. The purpose of the Wiki WebQuest is to define a wiki and provide how-to guidance resources for developing a student wiki. This will solidify and enhance the students knowledge of wikis and prepare them for creation. I started collecting websites the students can utilize in their Wiki WebQuest such as, Educational Wikis, this video of Wikis in Plain English, and Wiki World.
Wikis provide an avenue to integrate technology into the classroom in an engaging, motivating way. Students can draw from their personal experience of using the internet. Therefore, it is a natural integration for the students to see wikis used in the classroom. Eventually, I suspect, wikis will be embedded into the education system as commonplace as a desk and chair.
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