Thing 9 - Wiki wiki wiki

I really wasn't sure how I would be able to use a wiki in my classroom or school until I began exploring. I read a "Choose your own Adventure" story on one person's wiki, a first grade story in progress on another, and an actual virtual study hall on a third. All three of these had ideas that I could use right now! It was interesting how different each of the wikis were though. I looked at one that was a high school science class wiki that had all kinds of advertisements and pictures on it. The choose your own adventure was colorful but had no pictures and the first grade story was one VERY long story. I liked the pictures as I am a visual learner and too much text just turns me off. Some were organized with outlines, others were just choices to click on (and of course you could edit). In elementary, I'm not as fond of the outlines but can see the use of them in HS.

As for my use for a wiki, I have always wanted a way for my students to "share" books they have read with the class, but there is never enough time in the day for everyone to do this. I could see using a wiki for just this purpose. We could even create subtitles to put books (and their reviews) under so that interested students could get book ideas rather than aimlessly wandering the library waiting for me to point out a book for them. I could also see using a wiki for grade level or staff meetings. We are constantly emailing things back and forth and things get lost in the process. All of the teachers collaborating in one place would save a lot of headaches and get things done at a much faster pace.