chapter 4: Wiki's

• How does this reading impact your thinking about technology's role in teaching and learning?
• What will you do differently as a future teacher as a direct result of this new thinking?

I dont think I have ever realized how many wiki's are in existence. From the first 5 pages I have found two new wikis that will now be one of my frequently visited web pages. With younger children I am always worried about their safety, especially when dealing with the internet. One problem with wikis in elementary classrooms is how public the work is. Luckily, as the chapter stated, there are several other options you can use. For example, there are now wiki's that need a password to edit the information. Another option is some new software that has been created. It mirrors a wiki, but it can only be seen on local computers with the software. These alterations considered, I still prefer the idea of the "real" wiki that anyone can edit. One activity that was done using a wiki was one teacher collaborated with a teacher from a different country. The joined together to create a wiki that their students were in charge of editing. Information, pictures, files, videos and many other things were uploaded. Activities like these really help to broaden the children's view of the world because they are dealing with so many different people. Wiki's are a great way to give the students the responsibility of editing. They will have to keep their eyes on the wiki page, and continually update it with the most current information. I think wiki's are a great way to encourage class participation, and collaboration. 

While wiki's are great to use for class, I will also have to be weary of them. There is always the worry of students copying information off of wiki pages without citing them. This puts the whole academic dishonesty thing into play. Teaching students how to correctly use a wiki will be key in classroom success. Also, Having to check over wiki pages before using them is a good way to ensure that the page is accurate. Although, wikipedia, as steve jobs believes, is supposedly one of the most accurate encyclopedia's today.