WIKI
A wiki is a website that allows visitors to become participants, enabling them to add and edit content. It is a continual "work in progress" with the purpose of sharing ideas and information. One of the most famous examples is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia with millions of online contributors and editors.
Having researched the area, it seems that wikis can be very useful to a class. Below, I have listed some of the possible uses that seem most relevant to my school experiences:
- Creating a whole-class guide to a topic where small groups of pupils take responsibility for different areas within the topic. This allows pupils to browse one another's work and engage with aspects of a topic that they did not research themselves (See Placement Blog entry)
- Creating a class "magpie" wiki of exciting words and phrases picked up from books, television, adults etc. Children often use swag books to magpie writing ideas, which could be transferred to the wiki. Pupils could add to the wiki from home and the teacher could reward the pupil who adds the best new word/phrase.
- Articles by pupils who missed school due to family trips. With adult help, pupils could also upload pictures taken on a mobile phone to the wiki, to share their experiences with the rest of their class.
- Comparing pupils' experiences and ideas e.g. family traditions, holidays, favourite foods, recipes etc. (to be conducted sensitively)
Having researched the area, it seems that wikis can be very useful to a class. Below, I have listed some of the possible uses that seem most relevant to my school experiences:
- Creating a whole-class guide to a topic where small groups of pupils take responsibility for different areas within the topic. This allows pupils to browse one another's work and engage with aspects of a topic that they did not research themselves (See Placement Blog entry)
- Creating a class "magpie" wiki of exciting words and phrases picked up from books, television, adults etc. Children often use swag books to magpie writing ideas, which could be transferred to the wiki. Pupils could add to the wiki from home and the teacher could reward the pupil who adds the best new word/phrase.
- Articles by pupils who missed school due to family trips. With adult help, pupils could also upload pictures taken on a mobile phone to the wiki, to share their experiences with the rest of their class.
- Comparing pupils' experiences and ideas e.g. family traditions, holidays, favourite foods, recipes etc. (to be conducted sensitively)
This shows that developing confidence and proficiency in building a wiki is important. To further my skills and understanding I have contributed to a course wiki.
Using Wikispaces (a free wikihost), I have added a book review to the PGCE Children's Literature Wiki. This wiki enables any PGCE student on the course to browse reviews of students' favourite children's books. My review can be seen below:
Using Wikispaces (a free wikihost), I have added a book review to the PGCE Children's Literature Wiki. This wiki enables any PGCE student on the course to browse reviews of students' favourite children's books. My review can be seen below:
Perhaps most importantly for the teacher, the wiki can be used a tool for formative assessment, enabling quick judgements to be made of pupils' engagement and understanding of a topic.