Fun and easy to use, Wikis are also a great way to get students involved in the curriculum. Whether you are interested in encouraging participation, collaboration, or interaction, wikis are a great addition to any classroom.
Here are 12 real-world examples to help you integrate wikis in the classroom.
- Create a Classroom Encyclopedia
The study of any topic can be enhanced if students work together to gather information and then synthesize their learning by writing and posting short articles about the concepts being studied. The wiki can be organized by topic, or even alphabetically like a print encyclopedia. Then use the wiki as a reference tool.
- Collaborate to Establish Expectations for Wiki Articles
Students will quickly learn that it’s easy to write and post anything on a wiki. Explain that their contributions will need to meet certain criteria for research and fact checking. Ask students to brainstorm ideas and help develop the criteria that will be used.
- Research Creative Commons Licensing and Fair Use
Wikis are enhanced when images, audio, and video clips are embedded throughout, but this can lead to unintentional copyright violations. Ask students to research creative commons licensing and fair use guidelines, then write and post a class policy on the wiki.
- Collaborate to Develop Guidelines for Wiki Use
Using the wiki as a tool to gather input, invite parents and students to suggest ideas for guidelines for appropriate use of the wiki. Compile the top ten ideas and post them on the wiki.
- Create Tutorials for Using Wiki Features
Some parents may need instruction in how to use the interactive features of the wiki. Challenge your students to write, record, and post one or more online tutorials explaining features such as editing text, embedding images, etc. Use free tools such as Wink (www.debugmode.com/wink/) or VoiceThread.com to create the tutorials.
- Capitalize on Parents’ Expertise
Share topics and concepts you plan to cover in class with parents. Ask for volunteers who have expertise or interest in these areas to contribute or edit wiki articles students will use as classroom resources. Create a special area in the wiki where these articles can be posted and reviewed.
- Create a Classroom Wiki
Replace your traditional classroom Web site with a wiki. Survey parents and students to find out what kinds of information they’d like to see on the wiki and solicit their assistance in creating special sections for students and parents.
- Launch a Local Collaborative Project
Ask students to identify a local problem that needs to be solved, such as pedestrian safety or cleaner city parks. Challenge students to design a wiki-based project focused on solving the problem. Invite other classrooms or local schools to participate in the project.
- Develop Wiki Editing Guidelines
Ask students to discuss their thoughts about when it’s okay to edit work someone else has posted on the wiki and when it should be left alone? Brainstorm and post guidelines for editing the wiki.
- Edit Existing Wiki Articles
Choose one or more articles from an existing wiki. Have students review the article, checking for accuracy and proofreading the text. Agree on edits that would improve the article and make the changes in the wiki.
- Write a Glossary of Terms
No matter what topics your course covers, there will be specific terms used during the course of study. Have students create a wiki-based glossary where these terms are defined. Then, students can peer edit pages to correct mistakes or improve entries.
- Examine Informational Materials
Teach students about writing workplace documents and online etiquette by posting drafts of e-mails or text written for a company Web site on your wiki page. Ask students to analyze the content and purpose of the documents and add explanations of how they would revise the material to make it more effective.
**The content in this blog post came from SimpleK12's workbook "Integrating Wikis in the Classroom" - just one of 1,000s of resources available with membership to the Teacher Learning Community.**
MEMBERS: For more information about Wikis, how to create them, ideas for implementing them, and classroom strategies, please login and search for "Integrating Wikis in the Classroom" in the Learning Programs area of the Teacher Learning Community.
