In the wiki, http://www.gkbledsoe.com/articles/process/writing_prompt_generator.html, there was a page to help students think of stories to write, using prompts. That was fascinating. Since it was written by students it was very user friendly. However, the wiki at the "coolcat teacher" http://westwood.wikispaces.com/Web+2.0 most interested me right now. I have a scholastic class homepage and find it cumbersome. I have been looking for another way to post assignments and class news online that is easily accessible to parents and students. This looks like it may work well. I like the idea of using wikis for book collaboration and a class web site.
I did not find things that I would change about the wikis I read, although some did not fit the capabilities of my students. So while I would not use them as extensively as some that I read, there is a place for wikis in my classroom.
"The wiki concept is interesting and I am not sure right now what separates it from a blog."
ReplyDeleteA blog is typically a single-authored website. Although some blogs are authored by multiple people, each individual "post" is the creation of one person.
A wiki, although it can also be authored by one person, in it's "true" wiki form, is authored by multiple people. The information found on a wiki is a result of collaboration and is written and edited by more than one person.
Wikis, in general, can turn out to be whatever the creator intends it to be. It can resemble a typical webpage with one author or be a platform for a collaboratively authored document.
Feel free to create a wiki for your classroom use! Yes, you may certainly use it to post assignments and class news. If you end up wanting your students to participate, you are also free to create numerous other wikis that they can join so your classroom wiki stays preserved.