I’m finding a wealth of resources in
Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts that can be useful in my classroom. Richardson’s
text provides some excellent examples of how teachers have effectively used
wikis in their class. I was particularly impressed with the wiki that was
created by Jason Welker for his AP Economics class in Zurich, Switzerland. I
liked how Welker laid down the rules for this wiki. Specifically, he states: “Only
constructive, well thought out and informed input is welcome.” The
setting of high standards prepares students for the rigorous academic work that
is required in college. When students are the only ones allowed to post in the
wiki, then it is the students that become the teacher. They are completely invested
in their own education. This site started me thinking about how a wiki could be
deployed in my CP Biology class at Tolland High School.
One of the most popular and useful places to start a wiki is
Wikispaces.com. They have given away hundreds of thousands of ad-free wikis to
educators. Wetpaint is the application within the wiki that enables the teacher
to monitor the frequency of posting and editing by individual students. I can
see how this would be essential for any teacher using a wiki in class. The set
up is fairly easy and straightforward. The maintenance of monitoring student
edits and posts on the wiki takes time and discipline. Nothing gets posted
until the teacher has deemed it appropriate and accurate. This is crucial
because we all know that high school students don’t always posses good
judgment. This is where we as teachers can instruct our students in proper
digital citizenship.
