I attended a COMPUTER EXPLORERS workshop using Wikis as a teaching tool. I am eager to get started!

Using Wikis for interactive learning is one of the most positive ways we can use technology today.  They allow the shyest student in the class to contribute his knowledge without being embarrassed, offer a venue for the creative writer, and develop team-building and social interaction skills.

One of the most interactive ways that I have seen a classroom Wiki used is by an elementary school teacher who posted a series of twelve challenge topics to review Texas history.  Some of her assertions were true; other assertions were false.  She required each student to contribute to at least five topics during the course of a week.   One topic was “Sam Houston was the greatest US citizen ever to live in Texas.”  The responses from the class were as broad as you can imagine – everything from naming and validating other figures in Texas history who might deserve that title, to the documented reminder that Texas wasn’t part of the US at that time.  Because the challenges were well-chosen by the teacher, each one generated discussion and repeated participation by nearly everyone in the class.  The students read and reread the topics daily – at home, at school, even on their smart phones - checking to see what new information had been added and if they agreed with it.  NO one responded to only five topics – most contributed to all of them! *

Because the teacher was able to track who was contributing to the discussion and any changes made in the postings, she knew who might need a little extra help or in what areas she might need to do some additional re-teaching before the dreaded “TEST” was administered!  Yes, she still had to “teach to the test,” but she also taught critical thinking, rational discourse, and research skills. Using a Wiki was a lot more engaging and productive than filling in a worksheet!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

*An unexpected side benefit to using Wikis was that those students who were reluctant to voice opinions in the classroom seemed to gain self-confidence by using the Wiki forum.  After contributing to several Wikis, their classroom participation improved.