Thing 8

Three of the wikis that I explored were the Holocaust Wiki Project, Room 15 Wiki, and Discovery Utopias.

In the Holocaust Wiki there were student projects that each told the history of a family from a European country and then gave options for what the family would do during a Nazi invasion. The reader clicks on an option and is taken to another page where the family dies or faces another set of choices. It was addictive! There was obviously a lot of research and technical work on the part of the students to make this happen. I thought it was very effective and a good way to make the Holocaust more real to the students. The only thing I would change is the appearance of the wiki - it was very plain. The use of different fonts, backgrounds, graphics, etc. would have made it more pleasing to the eyes.

In Discovery Utopias, the students each created their own ideal society. They had to explain the culture, economics, natural resources, etc. There were resources for the students on the wiki for the project requirements and books about other "utopias". I thought this was an outstanding project for teaching social studies, literature, and writing.

Mr. Lindsay (formerly Room 15 Wiki) was one of my favorite discoveries. Mr. Lindsay, a 6th grade teacher, has created an outstanding wiki for his class! It has links for homework, student blogs, news, brainteasers, curriculum, etc. There are also educational videos on the wiki. There is so much information for the students and parents about the material that is being learned in his class. Plus it is all very organized, visually appealing, and easy to navigate. It is obvious that he loves his job and the new technology he is using!

I would love to have a classroom wiki like Room 15 where I could give info to students and parents and have it remain as a resource for review. I would also like to have my students blog about what they have learned, or use a new writing skill on our classroom blog.
This was a fun "thing"!