Week 7 - Thing 17 - "Sandbox" Wiki

Wow--there were so many good ideas on the California Curriculum Connections wiki that I was a little hard-pressed to come up with something meaningful to contribute. However, here was my post, under "Wikis":

Idea #37 - Many of the teachers at my school loop, or have the same group of students for one grade and again for the next grade the following year. Looping has some advantages; one of them is that the students develop a strong bond with each other. A class wiki could be set up to keep students in touch during the summer vacation. Kids could report on their travels, activities, and the books they have been reading and want to recommend to others.

I think wikis are at their best when the input solicited is creative, rather than factual. Reliability does not come into question so much. Using a wiki as a source of good ideas is terrific.

Week 7 - Thing 16 - Wikis

Wikis are a great social networking concept. Using them for specific events, like the CSLA Conference, can provide a forum where everyone who would like to can contribute. It goes well beyond the informational web page, in that an opportunity and means to add your input is provided.

The idea of using a wiki for a classroom is pretty cool. The class members can make up the community, and soliciting input from them gives value to each participant. I can see possibilities for book discussions, etc.

One of the strengths of wikis, the idea that anyone can contribute, can also become a pitfall. One who uses a wiki as a source of information needs to understand that the information may or may not be valid since the contributions are not authoritative. The user must beware and verify information for him/herself.