Wikis. You may have heard of Wikipedia or Wikispaces. A Wiki, according to Dictionary.com, is "a website that allows anyone to add, delete, or revise content by using a web browser." This is a great tool for educators to encourage connections to material and collaboration between students and experts in the subject area. Looking at some Wikis, I found a few that I really enjoyed and some that were not as interesting.
The first Wiki that I reviewed was Discovery Utopias. On this page, visitors are given a brief overview on their "Utopia" project and expectations. I liked how it was organized and that they also have examples of their assignments and links to other research information. The only part that I felt was a negative for this group was the amount of information contained on the home page. Possibly if it were better organized or included on a different page of the Wiki, it wouldn't have been a problem. I think that could make it more navigable to guests.
Next, I looked at a Wiki for Pre-K and Kindergarten aged students called the Kindergarten Counting Book students may count objects all the way to 100. I have a 4 year old, and I think she would really enjoy this activity. However, having all of the numbers up to 100 on one page is a bit much. I think if it was my Wiki, I would do 5 numbers on a page which would make it feel more like a book. It was missing details and expectations, along with any extension or encouragement of discussion for guest viewers.
Finally, I looked at a Wiki called "Primary Math." This Wiki was by far my favorite! Here is an excellent example of collaboration of students from different classrooms. They have great descriptions and a nice range of concepts learned in their classes. The only part that I was disappointed in was that some of the pages have videos and pictures missing.
For my Wiki, I would like to encourage my students to research and collaborate about our science topics covered in the 5th grade. I also like that because they will be public, we can invite experts and guests to comment and suggest ideas for the class.
The first Wiki that I reviewed was Discovery Utopias. On this page, visitors are given a brief overview on their "Utopia" project and expectations. I liked how it was organized and that they also have examples of their assignments and links to other research information. The only part that I felt was a negative for this group was the amount of information contained on the home page. Possibly if it were better organized or included on a different page of the Wiki, it wouldn't have been a problem. I think that could make it more navigable to guests.
Next, I looked at a Wiki for Pre-K and Kindergarten aged students called the Kindergarten Counting Book students may count objects all the way to 100. I have a 4 year old, and I think she would really enjoy this activity. However, having all of the numbers up to 100 on one page is a bit much. I think if it was my Wiki, I would do 5 numbers on a page which would make it feel more like a book. It was missing details and expectations, along with any extension or encouragement of discussion for guest viewers.
Finally, I looked at a Wiki called "Primary Math." This Wiki was by far my favorite! Here is an excellent example of collaboration of students from different classrooms. They have great descriptions and a nice range of concepts learned in their classes. The only part that I was disappointed in was that some of the pages have videos and pictures missing.
For my Wiki, I would like to encourage my students to research and collaborate about our science topics covered in the 5th grade. I also like that because they will be public, we can invite experts and guests to comment and suggest ideas for the class.
Overall, while investigating the benefits of tools like Wikis and Google Suite programs like Doc, Forms, Sheets, and Slides, I've decided to use a Wiki in my class, but also embedding the Google apps in it. By using a Wiki, I can foster that communication and collaboration I talked about earlier, but by utilizing the Google tools, my students can work together on a "live" document or slide presentation that they are all a part of. Here, they can comment and build on each other's work. This could help diverse learners because they would be able to use many resources to access the material and any specialized tools available to them for exceptional needs. Here is an assignment I will share with my students as their first online collaborative project. By looking at Allan Carrington's Padagogy Wheel, I can see that by using comments, creating pictures of advertisements for parks of specific landforms, and researching their specific assignment, they will be analyzing, creating, and evaluating their knowledge.
https://hotchkissscience.wikispaces.com/Landform+Project
Sources:
Discovery Utopia. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://discoveryutopias.wikispaces.com/home
Kindergarten Counting Book. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://kcountingbook.wikifoundry.com/
Primary Math. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://primarymath.wikifoundry.com/
Discovery Utopia. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://discoveryutopias.wikispaces.com/home
Kindergarten Counting Book. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://kcountingbook.wikifoundry.com/
Primary Math. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://primarymath.wikifoundry.com/