October 7th, 2009
Practical guide to really making wikis work in the classroom
I stumbled across a great article this morning on the use of wikis in school. As Ruth Reynard points out in The Journal,
…the technology itself does not develop the skill, nor is it the teacher; the technology is only a tool, and teachers must remain committed to the collaborative process if students are to fully engage and develop the skills necessary to work collaboratively with their peers.
Wikis are great: they’re easy to build, there are many free resources online, they provide a living record of learning in classes, they allow for collaboration, etc. But to really integrate their use into a class requires more than just access to computers and Wikispaces. According to Reynard, it actually takes a project management approach by teachers to keep the tool working in the classroom:
Even though the focus must remain on collaboration and the full engagement of the students, the progress of the work must be managed by the teacher, if it is to succeed. As mentioned above, timelines and deliverables should be posted on the wiki site and reminders sent regularly to students.
Now those are 21st Century skills.
Be sure to check out the rest of the article. It’s a quick read and provides a lot of insights for anyone wishing to run a wiki in their school or classroom.
Follow Chris Dawson on Twitter! Christopher Dawson is the technology director for the Athol-Royalston School District in northern Massachusetts and a member of the Internet Press Guild. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations, but always keep in mind that the opinions expressed here are his own and not those of his daytime employer, even if he talks incessantly about his day job.
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