So today you had a
chance to explore your very first wikispace!
Though we are using it to merely share Cell Communication content, this may not
be the best way to use a wiki. What are some of your other thoughts on how you
could use this online collaboration tool within your classroom? What are some
positives of this tool? Negatives? How do you think your students will respond
to this use of technology?
I like the idea of using a Wiki in the classroom because I think it could cover a lot of content and be a useful tool, particularly when information is divided up amongst students. I agree with how Mrs. Red said it is perfect her biotechnology class since the information is constantly being updated. I would probably use Wiki for the current events I have my students complete in Forensic Science. Each week someone has to find and article related to the field and post a discussion question online which all the students respond too. Wiki would be a great tool because the students could link their articles together or insert video clips or other past articles on the same topic. The big advantage is that you can organize and link all of the information in one place. The negative is that not all students have Internet access at home, so they may have difficulty completing the assignments if adequate class time is not provided. I think the students will enjoy this use of technology however I would demonstrate it for them first because it can be quite frustrating.
ReplyDeleteOh I really like your idea. I never thought of having students collaborate together on one page. It would kind of be like our blog but students can link videos, and articles, and images. That is a very good idea. My negatives were very similar to yours. I do think however that once students overcome the learning curve this could be a very effective learning tool.
DeleteI really like your idea with using this as a current event tool. There is always new development in science or controversy's. This idea would allow students to create their own page about the topic and link resources for others to further their understanding. The only negative like you said would students not having access to the internet at home. If this was the case, you'd want to try and schedule some class time each week so students have the opportunity to do.
DeleteThis was my first time creating a wikispace. After having some time to learn how to use it and explore the various aspects that it has to offer, I thought of additional ways to utilize it in the classroom. First, students could create a wikispace for a final review project. At our high school, most of the science courses have a cumulative final exam. The students could create various pages that focus on each unit covered in the class with pictures, text, animations, videos, etc... I even thought it would be interesting for students to create a wikispace on the “Big Ideas” of biology and give examples that pertain to each “Big Idea.” Also, wikispaces could be used as a student portfolio. The teacher could assign different assignments, blogs, and/or projects throughout the course and it would serve as a working portfolio of student progress and a piece of evidence for the multiple domains in the new teacher evaluations.
ReplyDeleteAfter working with the wikispace, there are advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is it allows for the instruction to be differentiated because each student may have their own way of creating their wikispace. Another advantage is that wikispaces allow for student collaboration. For example, we were each assigned a section in Chapter 11. Our goal is to produce a study tool for all of us to learn about cell communication. Also, students are able to collaborate outside of the classroom as long as they have Internet access. On the flip side, the wikispace has its disadvantages. In order to avoid student frustration, the teacher needs to provide a tutorial on how to use the wikispace. The downfall is that this takes up valuable, instructional time. Another disadvantage is the wikispace layout and tools. The wikispace can be very frustrating when trying to navigate through the website. It could be set up in a more user-friendly way because some things aren’t easy to access and you have to remember where certain pages are located. The last disadvantage is the requirement of Internet access. If students do not have Internet access at home, this would pose a potential problem for the student as far as completing the assignment.
Personally, I think some of my students would enjoy using a wikispace whereas others would not. I would definitely have to demonstrate how to use it and even provide a sample wikispace. For my classes, I would also have to provide the class time to work on the wikispace otherwise I would run into problems with Internet access. I would like to try using a wikispace with my students, but also listen to their feedback in order to make the experience better.
After being exposed to the wikispace, I have come up with some opinions on it. Personally, I like the concept of a whole classroom being able to work on the wiki together and add information that someone may have missed, help teach other students, etc. I also like that students can do the work outside of the classroom. This allows them to have additional time to make the wiki how they want it. I would use this tool in a classroom throughout the year to basically make a wiki for the whole class. Each week I would have the students add to the wiki and create a page as a class for the week's lessons. By doing this, I would be able to see what things I might need to go back and reinforce because they don't quite get the concept. But more importantly, the students would be able to have a online wiki for the classroom in order to study for their exams, and to reference back to in the future!
ReplyDeleteAs with all activities, there are positives and negatives. For the online wiki pages however, I believe that the positives outweigh the negatives. THe positives of the wiki pages are, providing a differentiated teaching style, creating a review system, becoming a study aid for the students for exams, and because it is on the internet, the wiki is around forever. The disadvantages of using an online wiki are few, but significant at the same time. The wiki that we are using is a little bit confusing and would require either prior knowledge in website creation/wiki building, or an tutorial so that the students are not lost when trying to figure out how to make it. Also, because the wiki is online, the students would need internet access.
I think students will initially respond in a negative way towards this technology. It is kind of a hassle to learn how to make the page and get things to work exactly as you want them to. After they learn how to do it and master the wiki building tools, they will begin to enjoy it. I also believe that after the students see how much benefit they will be getting out of the wiki come exam time, they will be in love with the wiki.
In response to Rebecca, I agree that it would be a huge advantage for students to be able to link their ideas in one place for something like a current events type assignment, but what about something like what I mentioned above? A year long class activity in which students are making their own study guides would take a huge burden off of you as the teacher and would also be a very useful tool in seeing where there are gaps in knowledge!
I agree with both Rob and Jillian in that the Wiki should definitely be utilized as some type of review. I think Wiki would be even more useful if you could upload documents. The students could create their own pages of information and the teacher could upload a study guide as well. I think it would also help if the teacher assigned students problems of the study guide and the students created a page showing how they solved the answer as well as links with additional, similar practice problems. Wiki is definitely indirect instruction, which I support, however I think the teacher would have to monitor the Wiki closely to ensure that the information students post is correct. Another idea I have for the Wiki is to use it for an activity where students link chemistry concepts to everyday life. If teachers in other courses use Wiki students could link their chemistry pages to those pages as a cross-curricular activity.
DeleteRebecca, I love your idea of using the wikispace for current events. It allows for student collaboration and discussion. It is a great way to cover current events if you don’t have the class time. Then, students are still getting exposed to what’s going on in the real world.
ReplyDeleteRob, I like your idea about using the wikispace to view students’ work and see what topics may need remediation. This would allow you to modify the next day’s lesson or unit plan based on the work they are submitting on the wikispace. The wikispace would then serve as constant feedback for the teacher. I also agree with the students creating study guides on the wikispace. You are right! That would take some burden off of the teachers, and I think it would hold the students more accountable for their learning. If it was up to them to create their own study guide on the wikispace, they might actually spend more time studying and improve their grades.
I like the idea of using wikispace in the classroom. I think in my classroom I will use is as a jigsaw type activity. I will do it similar what we are doing now, assign students sections and have them write a page on them. I would then want them to present and teach them to their classmates to make sure everyone understands. I also like that you can track who is working on it. It shows you who put in the initiative and who threw it together last minute. Because of this, I would be concerned about using this as a method to teach new material. I might have them do it then give them notes as a class to insure thorough understanding. Some positives are that both student and teacher can write on the page. I also like that you can track progress and that the material is open to the entire class. So negatives are that there is a learning curve associated with this type of project. It took me a while to get the hang of wikispace. In addition, this would have to be done in class to accommodate students who do not have computers at home.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a wikispace, and I think that I could utilize this in class. I think that I would make into a jigsaw/webquest type of activity. Each student or group (depending on the size of the class) would be incharge of a concept, idea, or section, and along with making a wikispace they would develop their own worksheet that their peers would work though as they go through the wikipage. I think that each generation of student becomes more technologically advanced and would love the opportunity to use technology every chance they get! I think that having the freedom and creativity of making their own wikispace would not only allow them to present the information in their own way, but also get them excited about the information they are putting on their page. When you can make a student excited about anything the ability to retain that information just increased exponentially. I think the only negative thing that could occur is me not knowing how to use functions on the wikispace and not be able to answer questions. I know with making our wikipages alone I was getting frustrated just trying to find and get used to how it works. So as a teacher if I was going to use this, I'd sit down and make notes about everything I learned how to use, and I am sure my students will teach me how to do different things too along the way.
ReplyDelete