In my future classes I would love to utilize the use of a class wiki. One this wiki I would put a daily extra credit challenge problem related to the mathematical concepts being studied at the time. This is a way to involve my students in a more difficult, college prep type of environment. Also, by adding a difficulty factor that is perhaps a bit more than what my curriculum normally consists of, I can implement and extended learning for those students who are more advanced.
On the class wiki, I can add class notes or overviews for students who were absent from class. Also, there can be a class discussion forum where students can communicate between each other, and myself, on questions or concerns that arise. Another component to the class wiki which I would add is as a means for students to work on homework assignments, and even schedule meetings with me or in study groups. (Wikispaces, 2011). By giving students the means to communicate openly with each other on questions and problems they may be facing we can promote a healthy learning environment that is supportive.One project
I was thinking of implementing is Statistics based WebProject via wikispaces.com as a means to share data. What I could have my students do is collect experimental data on the school and it's students. For example, class sizes, success rates, standardized tests, etc. The class would be broken up into different trials, and then work together to create a grand overview of what their findings were. Then we could collaborate with other schools and see how we compare with them.
Support is a key component to success, whether it be in everyday life or in education/work. Using the internet as a means of creating a system of support among peers can help to create relationships among classmates. By creating a base for healthy communication between classmates to build relationships, we can eliminate bullying in our classroom. Requiring each student to be an active participant in the wiki and establishing rules of conduct can increase the chances of avoiding a bully situation like what we read in "What Kids Say About Bullying" (KidsHealth, Nemours 2011).
References:
Wikispaces (2011). Wiki, Wiki, Wiki. Retrieved from http://wikipd.wikispaces.com/ on 6/16/11
Nemours (2011). What kids say about bullying. KidsHealth. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/poll_bullying.html on 6/16/11
Great examples for engaging students in activities on the wiki. I see you mention collaboration via the discussion forum and exchange/sharing of statistics. Will you have students share statistics directly on the wiki page? Or would you use something like Google spreadsheets - have students post their findings on the spreadsheet - and then perhaps have a link to that spreadsheet on the wiki?
ReplyDeleteYou mention something very important about the implementation of a wiki in the classroom - "rules of conduct!" It is very critical that educators, in any age classroom, provide guidelines for student use. In some cases, the teacher may want to develop those guidelines with the students.
When I did some investigating - it looks like the organization that puts out KidsHealth is The Nemours Foundation... so that should be your orgnaization name (rather than Nemours). In your post, your citation should be (The Nemours Foundation, 2011).
Excellent work this week! Great job integrating relevant and appropriate citations to support and enhance your response.
Thank you! Sorry I didn't specify completely what means would be used to share data. I was thinking it'd be more convenient to provide links to different google doc spreadsheets.
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