Thing#16 Wiki

Wikis are so much fun and can be use for so many things in the classroom. Think of them as a webpage that allows anyone to update or add to it - they are usually on a certain subject. The most popular wiki is wikipedia. I use this site quite often just to find quick answers.

In my multicultural class our teacher had us create a wiki about a mc author. We chose Ezra Jack Keats, and I'm proud of the way it turned out. Before we could create our wiki we did have to get organized and give out who was going to cover what topic, this way everything was covered and nothing duplicated. I would suggest you have set jobs if you are going to use a wiki in the classroom or allow students to sign up for what part they would like to take care. For example, if you are having students create a wiki on an author, separate the topics like biography, books written, awards won, etc. I think it's too chaotic otherwise.

Library2Play has some great suggestions for wiki on the blog:
· Idea #1: Collaborative note-taking. Everyone pitches in and adds a fact or two about a topic. Teachers can encourage students to include opinions, challenges, and appropriate criticism. Students would then write essays using only these notes. Make sure that each addition includes a citation to website, book, or database, including page numbers so that it can be checked.

· Idea #2: History. Students can compile a wiki of famous artists, architects, writers, and other key historical figures from a city, state, or country.

· Idea #3: Create a "top 10" lists and supporting material. This could include scientists and their discoveries, top writers and their books, ... you get the idea.

And there are tons more ways you could use them for. Again just be organized!!! Here some great links to ideas to use wikis in the classroom
Wiki in K-12 Classroom
Wiki Ideas for the Classroom