Friday, February 22, 2013

Blogs and Wikis
In my opinion, communication is one of the most important skills of 21st Century learning.  Wikis and  Blogs can be amazing tools to use in the classroom.  Here are some of my thoughts:
Similarities and Differences?
Wikis and Blogs are similar in that they are communication tools, but they differ in how they interact people.  Wikis can be synchronous, as well as asynchronous...while Blogs are solely asynchronous.  Blogs are usually created, edited, and shared by one person, while Wikis are made for and by multiple authors/contributors.
Instructional Uses for Blogs
(Although I would love to think of myself as an amazing creative genius, I must admit that I get a lot of my ideas from those who truly are ridiculously ingenious!  The following ideas on how to use Blogs in the classroom are from "Web 2.0 in the Classroom" which is a Blog (of all things) :)  Here are three of my favorites...
  • Create a blog to communicate class/school information with parents. Post field trip information, field trip forms, parent helper calendars, general classroom guidelines and more.
  • Create a blog where students record narrations of their favorite stories (use the free software Audacity to create sound files). Students can read published work or their own work. Accompany it with scanned illustrations they have drawn.
  • Create a blog that has children reviewing children's books.
  • Create a blog which links to real and bogus websites. Students can comment on noted biases and link to online sources to prove/disprove validity/reliability of site.
Instructional Uses for Wikis
Again...I beg for forgiveness as I "steal" ideas from those more creative than I!  The following list is from an article published by SmartTeaching.org and is titled "50 Ways to Use Wikis in the Classroom".  Here are a few of my favorites:
  • Virtual field trips: Have your students research far away places they would like to go on a field trip, and get them to share images and information about the location.
  • Share notes: Let your students share their collective information so that everyone gets a better understanding of the subject.
  • Multi-author story: Start a creative writing unit, and get your students to write a short story together, each writing a small amount of the story.
  • International sharing: Collaborate with a class from another country and share information about your culture, or even a day in the life of a typical student.
Challenges?
I think the main challenge would be monitoring the wikis/blogs for appropriate posting.  You can set filters on Wikis and Blogs, but it can be time consuming to "police" the sites.  Another challenge is blocked sites.  School Districts vary on their opinions of blogging and wiki use in the classroom and therefore...not a lot of sites are available for classroom use. 
Getting Started?
The great thing about Wikis and Blogs is that they are pretty easy to set up and "launch".  You definitely want to have a plan of action in mind before publishing your site to your audience. Don't work harder...just work smarter and don't reinvent the wheel.  There are many great resources available to you online that explain how to best use these tools in the classroom.  It would be smart to create some sort of a contract or fair use agreement that the students and parents both sign that conveys your expectations of appropriate use.  This kind of communication between student, teacher, and parent could save a lot of grief down the road! You would also have to be sure that your audience knows how to contribute to the site.  Technically speaking, you would have to have access to computers and good tech support.  
Ever Have One Of Those Days?

I love The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.  This collection of creative art prints by Chris VanAllsburg is great for story starters and creative writing.  This is one of my favorite pictures as it reminds me of the "boogie man under the bed" feeling.

What do you see happening?  What's under the rug?  How did it get there? Who is the protagonist?  Who is the antagonist?