Wiki's are all around us. I am sure you have heard of Wikipedia-a well known wikispace that gets a bad rap in education. Wikipedia gets a bad rap because of the nature in which it is made. Wiki's are editable content by anyone. In most cases a wikispace will require you to become a member so the owners can monitor your work. In education Wikipedia should not be considered a reputable source for students to use…but here comes the big BUT….it is an excellent place to find reputable sources. Most entries contain a bibliography at the bottom with reputable sites such as .gov, .edu and .org domains from which the editor received their information.
As for the classroom-wikispaces is an excellent and easy tool for any teacher to use. You can easily sign up for an ad-free space and have your students creating information in no time. Your students could each build a page in wikispace regarding any type of topic and add media and graphics to make their presentation visually effective. Wikispaces could also be a great way to promote activities and events in your classroom. Check out one of our CFF Coaches wiki to see how it works… http://theconnectedclassroom.wikispaces.com/ and check out several of our teachers wiki's who are using wikispaces in their classroom and to communicate with the community. http://tjohnston.wikispaces.com and http://ghsmusic.wikispaces.com
As always if you are interested in getting something like this up and running just let me know….
