EDTC Module 7 Post: Wikis

The wiki inquisition began with a google search, producing several articles that explained the myriad benefits of using a wiki site in the classroom. This article about Louise Maine transforming her classroom was convincing evidence of a wiki's academic potential. The article reports:

"The wiki is the hub for almost all class activity. Maine sets it so that only she and her students may edit it, though anyone in the world can view it. When students enter the classroom, they automatically know to look at the wiki for daily instructions, rubrics, and resources... They post their research, lab data, and observations on individual and group pages, which they can access later from home. After hours, the Web site functions as a parallel classroom, where students hold discussions, collaborate on group projects, and post their final work."

The article also stated, "Students like the wiki because it helps them keep track of their class work, they enjoy working on computers, and they often feel more comfortable participating in discussions online than in class. 'You feel free to express yourself because you can write down anything you want,' notes Cassie McConnaughey, who was a junior in Maine's Science for Living class. 'In the classroom, you might be afraid to say what you think out loud, but on the wiki, you can type and you don't have to say it.'"

I had noticed in my own experience with class blogging that kids often seemed to be more comfortable opening up in an online forum than out loud in a classroom. In this way, a wiki site seems as though it could contribute valuably to a class' feeling of community.

Another classmate of mine directed me to this article which, along with practical tips of wiki implementation, pointed out wikis as a great facilitator for inquiry based learning. I read several scholarly articles that further extolled the benefits of using a wiki site, including one written by another classmate!

It was clear that wikis could be a great classroom tool, but my dilemma then became HOW.

I explored "wikispaces" a bit, but then realized that there appeared to be a monthly charge associated with maintaining a private wiki space. After listening to a lecture overviewing the wiki tool "Wetpaint" given by David Wicks, I followed another classmate's suggestion and watched two fantastic Youtube videos made by the Seattle-based production company "Plain English."

The first gave an easy explanation of how to go about setting up a wiki site, even offering several suggestions at the end of different wiki sites one could use. Plain English gets bonus points for using cartoons and "hang loose" hand motions:


Then, per the other suggestions I'd been given about Wetpaint, I watched Plain English's video about that specific webtool. Wetpaint is especially great because, unlike other wiki venues, it's freeeeeee:



I'd been convinced of the benefits of a wiki, and had found a webtool that looked like a good one. Now I needed to practice USING it...

(After a couple hour's worth of work...)

I am happy to present my newly created WIKI site!

I created a home page, a daily reflection page, and uploaded an "introduction" picture under the photos tab. I created the site with the objective of using it with the Senior English classes that I'll be teaching next year. Although the site was mostly easy to use, I experienced some problems with the editing button not always properly loading. My "safari" browser also didn't always accommodate the various tools available. One other qualm with Wetpaint: there are a ton of ads, and I don't think all of them would be appropriate for my students. Although you can apparently "upgrade" and get rid of the ads, I'm sure that costs money... which is not ideal. I'm also not sure if my private school's extremely stringent firewall would allow access to this...

But in any case: I did it! And I know how to do it now!