At last! My beloved wikis! I enjoyed this chapter because it gave me some ideas about how to use wikis for more than just for distributing classroom information and materials. I am intrigued by the possibilities that Richardson discussed in the later part of the chapter. He writes about the different uses of wikis in classrooms- some teachers use them as an addendum to the text book, or as a way to prepare for an exam (AP or otherwise). I plan to explore the wiki sites that he shares in this chapter to see if I can learn more about how other teachers use them in the classroom. I plan to explore Wikibooks and Flat Classroom. I also wanted to check out Shelley Paul's wiki for Turn Homeward, Hannalee... but the link is dead. :(
I also wanted to mention the Wikipedia business mentioned at the beginning of the chapter. It is the bane of my existence as a teacher because I am constantly cautioning against it. However, the first place I go when I want more information is definitely Wikipedia. Maybe there need to be assignments designed that teach students how to properly use Wikipedia. I think it would be less effective in an English class (unless it was simple research about an author, setting, and/or time period), because we concentrate so much on analysis in our research. It is an interesting thought, though. One worth pondering some more... ;)
Shannon, I'm still trying to figure out wikis but found it really helpfulto see yours. Such a great resource for your students and I loved how you taped your lectures for them to revisit if needed. I don't see the same group of students for long periods of time, so I'm thinking of creating my wiki around literacy issues; a professional resource for teachers. I welcome any insights you might have!!
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