Here is a link to my wiki: http://cmawisdomhousewiki.wikispaces.com/ I created it for the three Junior High classrooms at CMA to have a place to share ideas about lessons, information for field trips, offer links for reprinting lost handouts, etc. I figured if I start on a small scale, I will be more likely to keep it up.
I experimented with placing links on a wiki page and found that there was an issue with my own laptop being unable to access a particular word file and open it. This bears trying on the MAC - will try that first, and continue my reflections afterward... I'm back, apparently the file has an issue because I can't view it on the MAC either. Will try it on my computer at school and if I still can't open it, will delete it. The other links and photos I put on the wiki seem to work fine.
As long as we can control who can edit the wiki, I have no problem with it. I can see great value to this as a great time saver over sending emails! I do have a reservation that some parents will not take the time to check the wiki, and may not even want any part of it. But it's worth a try, and my goal will be to get this wiki functional over the summer and try it out in the fall.
The main difference I can see in a blog and a wiki is the way the information is organized. Be-cause a wiki can limit which users login and edit the content, administrator control can be handled the same as a blog, where comments and posts can be pre-screened. The open style of a wiki can be useful for group projects, while a blog may be better suited to brainstorming or generating discussion. A wiki is a continually modifiable, easy-access web page, while a blog's journal-like style organizes and dates content so readers can see the exchange of ideas related to the particular blog topic.. The main difference, then, between a wiki and a blog becomes the layout and organization of information. A wiki becomes a continually modifiable easy-access web page, while a blog's journal-like style catalogs and dates content so readers can see the interchange of ideas related to the blog topic in question. A combination of the two, depending on the particular situation, will best suit educational needs.
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Great ideas. Blogs and wikis can play some unique roles. I'm not sure if wikispaces allows for page commenting. www.pbworks.com is another wiki, which has similar permissions and allows for page commenting. This means that participants could have read access only, plus comment at the bottom of the page. They could not edit the page.
ReplyDeleteIt will be great to hear about your students' exploration into using wikis.