My thoughts on Wikis

Chapter four was all about the use of Wikis and how a teacher can apply them to his or her classroom.  The chapter described how Wikipedia is one of the most used resources for kids to get information because it is usually one of the top ten sites that pops up when a person searches something in Google or another search site.  I like the idea of Wikis because it puts a lot of power into the person’s hands who wants to write about a particular topic.  That is also a bed side to Wikis because maybe a person would want to put falsified information on there for no reason which can easily happen and does.  Wikis can be another great tool that teachers can use and integrate into their classroom.  There are many versatile things that can be done with Wikis to facilitate learning and keep students interested and involved.  Students can gain much responsibility by posting their on information on Wikis for others to see.  Just to power to edit is a huge thing that can be given to students by the use of Wikis.  A teacher could have a constant discussion forum going with her students that could be easily accessible and easy to use.  Another good thing about Wikis is that they can be used for any subject because you can put pretty much anything on a Wiki like charts, pictures, and links.  These can all be placed on a Wiki for resources for students to use and help them to learn.

            As a future teacher I think that I will be able to use this tool effectively in my classroom.  One way that I could use it would be similar to the way we use it in class by having a student fill out what we did in class so all of the other students can look back and remember.  I would also like to use Wikis as a constant posting and feedback type tool.  I think that I would have the students post a response to a question that I would want the students to debate.  The students can then post their sides of the discussion on the Wiki and that way then can all view and edit their posts.  This would be a great interactive way to get the students to discuss maybe environmental issues or issues dealing with modern science.  I would definitely have to monitor the Wiki to make sure everything is educational and decent for discussion.  As a teacher I would also have to address the issue of using Wikis as sources of information.  Hopefully in this class I can get more insight on whether it is a good idea or not to allow students to use maybe Wikipedia for a source.  I think when it comes down to it the educator should monitor what is being used because sometimes it can be a good source.  The students will just have to cross-reference it with other sources.  This would most likely be the best way to go about that I believe.  I do believe Wikis can be used as a good technological tool in the classroom to get students involved and facilitate learning in a more creative way.  I will just have to be creative and come up with ways to integrate it into my teaching.