Using Wikis to Connect, Collaborate and Create

February 6, 2008

Disclaimer: I am live-blogging sessions at TCEA08 here in Austin, Texas. I am looking at sessions that use our supportive technologies and videoconferencing.

The description for this session:

Learn how a school librarian, senior English teacher, and AP government teacher use free wiki software to enhance collaborative student assignments.

The handouts for the session are online at Connected Libraries.

Session begins with the excellent Lee Lefever “Wikis in Plain English” The session was full with about 100 people and over half were not familiar with wikis.

• Wikipedia is live and can be reevaluated. Remember the “Discussion” or “Comment” tab in wikis. That is where the power of wikis and the social constructivism of knowledge.
• Wikinomics by Don Tapscott-companies are beginning to ask customers to be their partner. Collaboration of knowledge building. Allegedly to transform our culture.

From the AP Government teacher: Policy-making project

• Decided to use a wiki to make the research easier for students.
• Used the wiki to put up pages of links.
• Students only had to post links to their research on the wiki.
• Students didn’t know about wikis.
• Have two days in the library to research. Some groups posted, some did not.
• Basically creating a portal to use as a leap into writing the paper. (Some students have then used Google Docs to collaboratively write the paper.)

Learning through Quality Conversations (Weird English)

• Occasional papers are written whenever students want and students write about it.
• Bring paper to class and share and then carry the conversation into the wiki. (Really using it like a blog with the posting of the writing and then the others should comment.)
• “Me, too” does not count as quality conversations.
• Problem was that students did not go check it like Facebook. How do you get students into the wiki more?

It is good to hear from teachers about how they are using these types tools in the classroom. I am looking forward to a session that focused on the content and how to select the correct tool.

Posted in TCEA07