Wikis

A wiki is a collaboration tool that allows users to edit/add to a webpage quickly and easily. I think wiki’s are great to use in the classroom when working on school assignments that require collaboration. To learn more about wikis click here.

Language Arts ideas for using wikis in the classroom:

Peer Editing: The writing process involves many steps. Peer editing is one of the most helpful steps for the writer. This step involves the writer receiving feedback about his/her writing from a fellow student. Having another student’s interpretation of the piece is very beneficial to the writer when trying to generate a final paper. Wikis make the editing process quick and easy. The writer can post his/her work on a wiki page and then have the editor access the page. The peer editor then has the freedom to add, delete, change, or suggest any improvement to the writer’s text. To make viewing the differences between the original and edited text easy, the editor can choose a different color text for revisions or the writer can view the original saved document and the newer document.

Literature Circles:
Literature Circles involve a small group of students reading the same novel. The students analyze their novel through group discussions and together try to answer questions that come about as they read their book. Wikis provide a webpage where the collaboration can take place. As the students are reading, they can post their thoughts and questions for their group members to read. Each group member has the freedom to add to the group’s discussion. These online discussions free up classroom time to focus on other areas of the curriculum. As many teachers value Literature Circles, they sometimes find them difficult to incorporate in the classroom because of amount of classroom time consumed.