Today we live in a world that is surrounded by media. As educators it is our duty to make our lessons engaging and meaningful to the students and to prepare them to become successful adults in this technology world we live in. Everything that surrounds us involves media, so what better way to engage students than incorporating technology into the curriculum. So, as an educator I feel that it’s crucial to teach and prepare our students for the skills of the future. According to Chao & Parker (2007) today’s students will not only manage business innovations of the future, but in many cases will drive them. Therefore, educators can teach students how using wikis and other social networks can be an important skill for the future.
The school district I currently work for is all about 21st century learning. They recognize the importance of teaching our students how to use it not just for entertainment but how it can be used to learn in an exciting way. Last year I began using many web 2.0 tools in my classroom. Most of the students I teach do not have computers at home so they valued the time they got to use technology in the classroom for learning. They were excited about creating class projects that incorporated technology and enjoyed collaborating with each other to share their ideas. I began to use a wiki space to display their projects and created a blog that was used to create discussions and share ideas about class topics. While I was teaching my students to use these tools, I was also learning how to se them effectively in the classroom. Through my research of wikis and blogs I discovered that there are many advantages and disadvantages of using them in the classroom.
Wikis are simple webpages that are used by collaborating authors and allows anyone to edit them. It organizes information into topics and shows information that is related and easy to browse. Blogs are webpages that are created by a single author. They organize information into reverse chronological order. There are many advantages for using wikis or blogs in the classroom. They can be used for elementary up to college level students. They can be used as a place to post information like class schedules, syllabus, homework, parent information etc. They are easy to create and give younger students opportunities to write. According to Crie (2006) they give students opportunities to create a voice and share their ideas about specific topics. Another study suggests that wikis promote student collaboration and gives the students a sense of ownership and responsibity for their writing. (Pedagogy, 2010). Most important they give parents a way to keep up with classroom events and their students learning. Not only are wikis and blogs a great learning tool for students but they can also be a resource for teachers. Many educators use them as a place to post ideas about how to incorporate them into your classroom or share ideas on how to make lessons more engaging.
Wikis are simple webpages that are used by collaborating authors and allows anyone to edit them. It organizes information into topics and shows information that is related and easy to browse. Blogs are webpages that are created by a single author. They organize information into reverse chronological order. There are many advantages for using wikis or blogs in the classroom. They can be used for elementary up to college level students. They can be used as a place to post information like class schedules, syllabus, homework, parent information etc. They are easy to create and give younger students opportunities to write. According to Crie (2006) they give students opportunities to create a voice and share their ideas about specific topics. Another study suggests that wikis promote student collaboration and gives the students a sense of ownership and responsibity for their writing. (Pedagogy, 2010). Most important they give parents a way to keep up with classroom events and their students learning. Not only are wikis and blogs a great learning tool for students but they can also be a resource for teachers. Many educators use them as a place to post ideas about how to incorporate them into your classroom or share ideas on how to make lessons more engaging.
Just like there are many advantages for using wikis and blogs there are also disadvantages. One of the most important disadvantages I came across was that they could be time consuming and require monitoring by the teacher. The acceptable use policy is another important risk that is taken when using these tools. Educators must be sure that all students understand the guidelines for using technology in the classroom. Students must also be aware of the type of information they post and be sure not to post too much personal information that could be seen by anyone. It’s important that teachers of the lower level grades gain parental permission. Students must also be taught that when using wikis, blogs or any kind of web 2.0 tool there are things that are appropriate and inappropriate to post. Plagiarism and copyright is another important topic that must be understood by the students. (Crie, 2006).
Although there are advantages and disadvantages when using wikis and blogs; I think that it is important to expose our students to these skills that will help them in the future.
According to Parker & Chao (2007) educational institutions can offer immense value to their students by familiarizing them with the simple technologies that make collaborative networks possible. I believe this is true especially for those students that don’t have the media available to them at home and rely on school to learn the skills they need to prepare for the future.
Works Cited:
Chao, Joseph &Parker, Kevin. (2007). Wikis as a Teaching Tool. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects Volume 3, 2007. Retrieved from http://ijklo.org/Volume3/IJKLOv3p057-072Parker284.pdf
Crie, Molly. 2006. Teaching Today. Glencoe/McGraw Hill. Retrieved from http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47
Pedagogy of Wikis. (2010). Retrieved from http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Pedagogy+of+Wikis
