The wonderful world of WIKI

I dont know which rock I have been hiding under for the last few years, but I am sure glad I came out to discover some of the fantastic resources that are available to me now, and later, as I submerge myself into a classroom learning environment.

Today I decided to create my own wiki page, but before I jumped straight in , I took some time to find out what all the fuss was about. In doing this, I wanted to know what other people use wikis for and why they would be relevant to me. To find this information, I used other forums (blogs), youtube and wiki itself. The feedback I got from this research was extremely eye opening. Prior to this course, I would never have considered myself to be a 'digital immigrant', however, I now consider that would have been a very appropriate term for my lack of content knowledge.

So what did my research tell me about wiki?

From here I went online to wikispaces and created my first and only wiki. Within this wiki I had a play around at adding images, video, text and links. I was able to create a page which I hope I will get the chance to go back and edit. I found the website easy to navigate and edit which enabled me to feel at ease when working within it. If you want to check out my Wiki, it is available at http://wikibyemma.wikispaces.com/.

So what are my thoughts about using an online tool, such as Wiki, in the classroom? Well, initially I thought of all of the reasons why it would be inappropriate, such as anybody can contribute, things can easily be deleted or lost, and that there are not enough computers in a classroom to effectively suffice. After playing around some more, I went in search of some more information and found a site called smartteaching.org. This site provided me with examples of 50 ways in which wiki could be incorporated to create a more collaborative and interactive classroom.

After exploring these possibilities, I now feel as though I have taken off my tunnel vision goggles and can now see how managing online learning is not about limiting students to specific programs, but taking advantage of their skills and reaching them on a level that allows them to be creative and collaborative in a virtual environment. I believe that for most children, given this opportunity, they will flourish in their work and hopefully comfortable enough to participate with others effectively, regardless of whether it is group or collaborative work.

So... what are your thoughts?