Today I created wikis for my classes next year and invited other teachers to join me in the effort. I have debated a bit with myself in terms of which platforms to go for, but I landed on Wikispaces for teachers. It’s easy to use and manage. The alternative was Google Sites, which I have set up for the teachers to use among themselves, but it appeared slightly cumbersome for students to use.
Networked learning: The power of ten working interactively will almost invariably outstrip the power of one looking to beat out the other nine. (Edurati Review)
I am very excited about using wikis in subjects like English and Norwegian this next school year. I have set them up in accordance to the curriculum and hope to assign homework assignments and challenge the students to create content – and collectively we will produce a wiki together.
Wikis ca prove a vital tool in teaching and training students in accuracy, collaboration, critical use of sources as well as enhancing their digital competence when publishing using Wikispaces. Credibility is a goal in itself.
Learning is shifting from issues of authoritativeness to issues of credibility. A major part of the future of learning is in developing methods, often communal, for distinguishing good knowledge sources from those that are questionable . . . We find ourselves increasingly being moved to interdisciplinary and collaborative knowledge-creating and learning environments in order to address objects of analysis and research problems that are multidimensional and complex, and the resolution of which cannot be fashioned by any single discipline. (The Edurati Review: 10 Principles for the Future of Learning)
Hopefully students will learn more about how sites like Wikipedia are created and the advantages as well as the dangers. We will continue using blogging as a tool in our lessons, but I am keen to see how wikis will work out for my students, my colleagues and myself. I have made myself six teaching objectives which I hope to succeed in with the students.
Objectives:
- Students will learn how a wiki works and how to use them
- Learn the value of collaboration and produce and publish together
- Learn the importance of citing sources and creating links
- Review own and classmates’ production and work to improve through revision by making the most accurate and best product as possible
- Understand and feel the value of publishing
- Enhance overall digital competence
Hi Morten,
good post and very exciting project! I’m a project manager in youth education in germany and willing to push education2.0 here, too. But it’s very hard when most people I’m working with don’t even know what wikis, blogs and so on are…
Keep on,
Günter
Hi Günter,
Thanks for commenting on my blog. I know the feeling of pushing digital tools when others are skeptic, cannot find the time etc. But the most important thing is to explore and have colleagues try and play around with it. That way you can gain some experiences together and learn some important lessons together, which can be used with the students. I’m very excited about using wikis the way we are aiming for. I have had some very successful experiences with blogs, and students enjoy it.
What classes are you teaching? I thought German education were leaps and bounds in front in terms of digital learning. Do you have a blog I can follow?
Good luck with your work!
Morten
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