Using+Wikis+In+Education

**In The High School Classroom Setting ** "** Wiki **" is a Hawaiian word that means "** quickly **". A Wiki is a Web site that allows users to add and update content on the site using their own Web browser. Wikis are very popular in the educational classroom! Find out ways of how below:


 * < Uses for the Classroom:

- posting of homework and class assignments - school information and events calendar -a place to share research and project ideas -students plan outlines, notes, and study guides - homework help center -online school newspaper -standardized and AP testing information and resources - online student notebook -lab and lab report with partners -PowerPoints and in-class notes are posted - links to research sites for papers

Source: Wikis In The Classroom ||< ||

** THEY LOVED IT **** : **

"..I think you can see how I organized my classes and my proposal to student’s projects. I have the summaries for each day class and the project, and then the students develop their pages and links. This a continued work during the school year...." ---Elisabete, Portugal

"My class is making a documentary film. They use the wiki as a place to share resources, make decisions and discuss. They also have a blog where each of them can reflect on the learning and the process that they are going through." ---Tom H

-"I teach computers, career planning and general education for adults. I use my wiki to provide notes for my students and learning activities. My students include youth at risk, esl, mature aged learners." ---Wayne B, Werribee Community Centre

Source: Comments On Using Wikis

Our Opinion: For students in high school, the Wiki is very practical for class assignments. It offers the availability to see the history of how much each student worked on the project, which is very helpful in determining the appropriate grade for each student. It is a very good tool for working on group projects, especially lab reports because it allows each student to work on the lab at the time convenient to them via the internet, instead of trying to find a meeting spot for everyone to work on it. These are just two positive points about the Wiki we have found. More include having a site specific to just a certain class, posting of homework and class notes, and helping students to use technology more as a hands on experience. The only drawback found using Wikis is that students could get frustrated with the formatting of the Wiki page, so it is important to let the students know they can copy and paste from Microsoft Word or a likewise document.