Thing # 8

What in the world is a WIKI?

The first time I learned about WIKIS was last spring, while taking the Intel Course. We used a Wiki to reflect in our learning and to share our experiences. I liked it because if two heads think better than one, imagine the possibilities among way much more than that!!!

This is all a matter of points of view. An individual perspective is limited, but being able to get exposed to the collective thinking gives you broad roads in your quest of understanding more the world around you.

I think that Vicki Davis had a positive experience when first using wikis in her classroom. I think that a great part of it was her own excitement that was transmitted to her students, who eventually came up with wonderful ideas.

I really hope there is a WIKI in my future… I do not see it just now because I am somehow overwhelmed by my new responsibilities, but I hope that once I get things under control I will be more open to commit with a project such as having a WIKI. I think this should be something meaningful, not just an impulse.

Regarding my thoughts and observations about the educational wiki projects I have explored, the ones that caught my attention were 1001 Flat World Tales, Kindergarten Counting Book, and Thousands Project. What I liked the most of these WIKIS where the purpose they were intended for.

I was not aware of how much I liked writing until two things happened in my life. My daughter, who is in eight grade now, told me she wanted to go to College to study English to become a writer, and I started teaching writing to bilingual kindergarteners. You might think that I am not the best qualified individual to teach writing, because you have maybe found several errors in my writing. Please understand I am an English Language Learner, but I write pretty good in my native language. Well, having explained that, I think that a wonderful way to learn how to write is to do it in a writing workshop, where you can learn at your own pace. That is what I found in 1001 Flat World Tales, an ongoing global writing workshop emphasizing peer editing and revision. You learn a lot from others because they open your eyes to ideas otherwise might probably have never popped in your mind.

I chose the Kindergarten Counting Book because I used to teach that grade level and wondered how this new technology would be useful for these young students, and although I came up with one or two ideas, I am not a very creative person, so I am always looking around to “steal” ideas from the inventive minds. In this case I liked the fact that kindergarteners where able to demonstrate that they have grasped the matching one-to-one concept in a fun but simple way, with little help from adults.

Finally, I just love the idea that Mr. Monson had when he created Thousands Project. Being able to expose fifth graders to the opinion of people around the world regarding meaningful topics for them is an awesome way to teach them that we are not the only culture in the world and that people in other cultures have different but interesting points of view.

The challenge that I found with WIKIS is that you need to be committed to monitor them, or otherwise, after certain time they will eventually become obsolete and without a purpose.