Project+Wiki+-+Research

The Wiki-Textbook

http://nanuet6thgrademath8.wikispaces.com/ - Although that front page is pretty dull, the guts of this wiki is thought out. A trend I saw with a few wikis is how the instructors are having students write their own class textbook. In this case, he gives them citation help for any pictures or videos not taken from a list of copyright free websites. He also gives them a list of helpful math sites. Using those (and, I'm assuming lecture from class), they write textbook "chapters" of a variety of math topics, like "order of operations," including examples and practice questions. The point is the children //create// this wiki themselves! I would like to see my students create a "textbook" of library skills and rules, as well as research rules and guidelines.

The Class Webpage http://mrsibrahim.wikispaces.com/ - This is a teacher-created class webpage, with student examples (uploaded by the teacher). I chose this example because it is an easy and excellent way to have a public "face" to your classroom or library. Each of her students had their own page, as well. Although the pages listed on the left needed work, she does warn that the site is a "work in progress." I especially liked her link to her school wide wiki (thebeagles.wikispaces.com) to show how it can also be used on a larger scale.

The Resource Page For some reason, the image won't load... sorry! http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/ - This site is one for, primarily, educators to use amongst themselves. Using a wiki as a site to collaborate and gather resources, like quotes or links to web 2.0 tools in this case. This is something I'm working on now: gathering well-used websites that teachers use in their classroom (for both student use or instructional) and gather them all in a central location. This way, teachers can learn from each other, too.

Other Examples [] - This blog entry tells business leaders how to use wikis in other ways. Since it is from another perspective than "education," it gives unique uses for it that we, as teachers, could use for our classroom - like using a wiki to plan an event or use one as a personal address/contact book (like a cloud).