Wiki Walk-Through

This class has been my first experience using "wikis", other than the popular encyclopedia, Wikipedia. This course has helped me become familiar with wikis and has allowed me to see several different uses for them. I am definitely interested in using wikis in my future classroom because I love the interactive ways of teaching and informing both students and parents, and a wiki is a great way to do that.

This week, we looked through a page called "Wiki Walk-Through". This simple, yet engaging page teaches an immense amount about ways to use wikis, the difference between a wiki and a blog, and various other information. The greatest thing about a wiki is that it is "always under construction", it is always being edited and updated, by a collaborative group of people. They allow student participation while in the classroom, but more importantly, promotes ongoing creativity and exploration because a wiki can be accessed anywhere. 

Wikis in the classroom can provide several tools and information, including:

• Study guides
• Vocabulary lists
• Class encyclopedia
• Articles collected by students
• Tips for tests from other students
• FAQ

There are many different ideas for wikis in each subject for K-12 classrooms. Wikis are a great way to get kids involved and engaged in activities. Wikis are convenient and and easy to use and provide wonderful materials for the entire classroom. 

This is an example of a wiki used in a 3rd grade classroom that the students created and are using to study and explore the Westward expansion along the Oregon Trail.