Chapter 8: Communicating and Networking with Websites, Blogs, Wikis and More.

Journal Post # 8
"Our children have digital limbs. We cannot amputate them at the front door."- Brendan Murphy

Photo credit to Mike Licht on Flickr

Focus Question # 4: How can teachers use wikis to promote collaborative learning?

     Good teachers, always worry about getting their students to engage in a more personal, meaningful and creative participation in class. I remember long ago I heard from a good pedagogue, "the good professor speaks little, but listens attentively and makes his students speak." Technologically speaking, that is precisely what the Wikis achieve.

     Since a wiki is a website developed collaboratively by a community of users, allowing any user to add and edit content, this makes possible collaborative learning environments for teachers and students. For example, the teacher may pose a problem and students working collectively, but at the same time printing their own personal stamp, investigate, discover, and develop concepts, strategies, and methodologies for solving it.

     A variation of these is the wikitext, in which students participate with the teacher in creating the textbooks for their classes. The result is that they feel personally connected to curriculum content and therefore more motivated to study it. They are not just content receivers, but also content creators and editors. Evidently, this tool facilitates an inquiry-based learning with a student-centered learning very much in tune with the constructivist approach.

Tech Tool Link: Education Week

     I really believe this website contains updated, comprehensive, professional, helpful and practical information for us, the educators. I read varied and very interesting articles about how to motivate students, how to maintain constructive relationships with parents, address the students’ individual needs using the e-books, the importance of laying a good foundation in early education, etc. I also read about the experience of Todd Quinn, a zoologist who dedicates his time voluntarily to teach young and brings a different exotic animal to class each week. Some of his students' behavior, especially the behavior of his special needs kids, has changed since he started bringing in the animals into class.  Another article that struck me was the one written by Peter DeWitt, the principal of an elementary school about the need for educators strive to integrate technology into their classrooms rather than resist using it or classifying it as harmful to students. He said: “Some educators believe that students do not know how to use their devices properly, (…). Our job as educators is to build a bridge between what they use it for and what we want them to use it for.” Actually I loved the information on this site and I could continue commenting about the other possibilities it offers, but I prefer that you try it for yourself.

Summary and personal connection:

     I have always known that good communication is essential to obtain a good education, but to be honest, only until I examined and meditated on this chapter, I had not fully aware of the vast possibilities that teacher and classroom websites, email, discussion boards, blogs and wikis have to create engaging and productive educational activities as well as to facilitate and enhance communication with all those who in one way or another are involved in the educational process. Undeniably, this chapter has opened before me new perspectives for integrating technology into and out the classroom

References:

DeWitt, P.  (October 14, 2012). Resisting Technology Is Soooo 20th Century. Retrieved October 15, 2012, from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2012/10/resisting_technology_is_soooo_20th_century.html

Heitin, L. (October 10, 2012). Florida School Goes Wild for Science. Retrieved October 15, 2012, from http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/