To be honest, if you asked me a year ago, what a Wiki was, I didn't know. How many of us in education do? To prove my point, just today, I asked a general education teacher, if she knew and of course she didn't. Therefore, I explained what a valuable tool they are.
The classes at West Georgia have opened my eyes to many internet goldmines I didn't know existed. Unfortunately, using Wikis in my courses has left me feeling disappointed. I'm usually computer adept, but I felt frustrated managing Wikis. I was envious of other peoples' designs and it left me wondering why I couldn't figure out how to do more. Therefore, I am taking on a challenge and am going to complete the tech tip assignment on Wikis as well as complete this blog. At the end of this course I'm to become a Wiki Wizard!
Learning how to develop and maintain a Wiki is important for future library media specialists. There is a wonderful world of Wikis in store for educators. Libraries may use Wikis to promote internal communication, provide a virtual space for group collaboration, or create a dyanmic content for the user population.
If you, as the LMS want to share the new titles the media center has to offer, you can display snapshots and titles on your Wiki. You can also showcase students using the LMC too. Another wonderful feature of Wikis is that others can edit the page. Therefore, you can ask teachers to upload projects or pictures of their own students using the LMC. A wiki can enable and empower librarians and teachers to create and edit their own content whenever and wherever the need arises. The possibilities are endless!
Another positive feature of the Wiki is that it is on the internet. Therefore, it can be accessed from anywhere. You may decide content should be added from home, another teacher's classroom or even just from another area of the library. Just locate a computer, and it's done! Hosting and maintaining a Wiki is just one small way you can ensure the library is at the center of the learning community.
Library Media Specialist are encouraged to collaborate. This can be accomplished using a Wiki. The LMS and teachers could work together to create lesson plans, track how the lessons are being implemented in the various classrooms and give suggestions. Teachers can also share school to school and find out how other teachers are doing on a similar unit. Wikis can also aid in research by allowing the LMS to create and manage dynamic content.
As we are learning this semester, with the numerous opportunities to use our class Wiki, Wikis are a wonderful tool. I'm looking forward to learning more about them and embracing them. I will share my knowledge currently, as an Interrelated teacher with fellow teachers that I co-teach with. When I become a media specialist I will create a Wiki for the media center and welcome the community to the Wonderful World of Wikis.
Courtney, N. (2007). Library 2.0 and Beyond: Innovative Technologies for Tomorrow's User. Libraries Unlimited, Westport, CT.
Wiki in a K-12 Classroom. Retrieved October 11, 2011 from http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Wiki_in_a_K-12_classroom.
Lisa, I enjoyed reading your blog on wikis. I agree with you, it wasn't that long ago that I didn't know what a wiki was. It is important for practicing and future media specialist,even teachers for that matter know how to develop and effectively use wikis. Wikis can be effective in assisting with instruction as well as informational purposes.
ReplyDeleteLisa,
ReplyDeleteYou and I are in the same boat. Prior to starting at UWG, I, too, had no idea what a wiki was, nor did I think I needed to use one...boy was I wrong!
Using a wiki sure has made collaboration a lot easier and not as messy as constantly sending the "updated version" of a file back and forth to one another via email for revising.
There is a comfort level to using a wiki that I think comes from becoming more comfortable with technology. In the beginning, I was worried that I wouldn't post things correctly, that there would be errors, etc., but that is the whole point of a wiki...it can be edited!
Things can be added, removed, restructured, etc. and there is a record of who did what.
I haven't yet been bold enough to try a wiki with my students...I think the situation would need to be pretty well organized and orchestrated, but I know teachers who have used them and they've been very successful.
Lucky 7 Podcasting- Linda Morris
ReplyDeleteI am new to a lot of the technology that we are being introduced to through this course and a previous course taught by Dr. Cooper and yes, I am intimidated. My first time producing a podcast was for this course and I dreaded working on it. I put it off until I had no choice but to work on it. Once I started working on the initial podcast, I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it was to make and a lot of fun. I enjoyed it so much that I elected to make a podcast for another course that I am currently taking. I have also signed students up to teach them to make podcasts instead of traditional paper book reports. It’s a great way to allow students to express themselves, share their work, and be creative. Podcasts are interactive and are great for developing literacy skills and teaching team work.
Lisa I enjoyed reading your Post regarding Wikis. Using a wiki can certainly be a welcome addition to the classroom and instruction. I believe with the help of collaborative work the wiki can be a powerful tool student achievement. The best part is as an educator, I can "fine tune" my wiki over time to better fit the needs of my students.
ReplyDeleteAgain, great work and thank you!!
Lisa, I enjoyed reading your post. I am new to wiki’s too. I love your ideas about using wikis in the media center. Students might even post reviews for the books that you list. Maintaining and hosting a wiki would truly make the media center the hub of the learning community and perhaps posting student projects might entice others to seek out those resources.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your endeavors to become a wiki wizard. They are such a wonderful collaboration tool for both students and teachers, as you’ve mentioned. Thanks for blogging!
Lisa-
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post on the "Wonderful world of wikis!" I'm also a newbie and admire your determination to become a wiki wizard! You offered some great suggestions for implementing wikis in a school environment (especially the LMC)I think the wikis have been a fantastic tool for group work. Not having to e-mail back and forth and working on stuff simultaneously has been a real advantage. With the current focus on collaboration, wikis are a great teaching and learning tool. Thanks for your post!