Thing 14

I thought Wiki Wiki Teaching was amazing. It is exciting to me how one teacher can have an idea that impacts the entire school. Those kids took that idea and literally ran with it. I'm sure that even the teacher did not see the far-reaching influence that the wiki would have. It was also very impressive that the other teachers in the building were so ready to jump on board. That must be a very technology oriented building. The fact that a wiki is a collaborative, living document is one of the most exciting things about it. Teachers across the district or grade level can collaborate on ideas, lesson, or reviews all to guide their students learning. This is a very powerful tool.

One wiki that I especially liked was Primary Math. I loved their use of YouTube videos to enhance their learning. Almost every one of their lessons had some video attached. One classroom shared questions with partner school in South Korea. The kids were so excited to see their buddies on the internet. What a cool way of learning. This did not have a lot of comments but an impressive amount of reads.

Another wiki I liked was Schools of the Past. Even though there was not a lot of kid typing, I think the information gathered was fascinating. The children certainly would have learned a great deal from this kind of questioning skills. An authentic, first-hand interview shows those students the value of primary sources.

I also enjoyed reading Go West, a wiki about the Oregon Trail. The information seems to be well researched and well presented. I especially like the navigation tabs along the left that allowed you to jump from one topic to another. The students obviously learned a lot not just about the Oregon Trail but about online creating and presenting. Their sources were cited as well as the citation for their images.

Yes, I think there is definitely a wiki in my future. I already have a very basic, very limited one started that contains recipes from my family. It is a great storehouse for memories. Now if I can only get my sister to contribute!