Wikis

It's challenging for me to only focus on literacy in the reading and writing arena.  As a math teacher, I also think 'numeracy' when connecting to literacy.  Now that we are diving into Common Core Standards, it is imperative to include literacy in all content areas.  As we ready our students for "college and career," how we teach with and use technology is integral to our future.

Wikis are tools where students and professionals are able to collaborate and edit online content.  They are an interactive place for videos, lessons, images, web 2.0's, links, and more.  Users can contribute and edit from any place they are able access the site online.

There are two types of wikis that I have seen most often.  One for classroom collaboration and one for professional collaboration...

I found a classroom wiki that I found to be very interesting (http://jabernethy.wikispaces.com/Classroom+Pets).  Mrs. Abernethy includes blogs for students to give reviews (movie vs. books), share summaries and commentary using Storybird, Animoto, Voki's and more!  This 21st century classroom shows how students collaborate and connect in very creative ways.  I can see the work that the students have put into their responses in more than just linear writing, which allows students to connect to their reading, writing, understanding and communicating more richly.  I found their collaboration and sharing of information inspiring.  The site is chock full of blogs, student pages, wikis, etc.

The professional development wiki, http://yukon-education-mathematics.wikispaces.com/Literacy, is a connection between literacy and numeracy, with a focus on balanced literacy across content areas.

 

I appreciate the opportunity to be able to share resources related to literacy in so many areas.  This wiki provides collaboration with events, learning objectives, differentiated instruction, and professional development.  There are workshops, attachments, assessments, coaching, podcasts, seminars,etc.  The professional site seems much more of a resource than it is a collaboration as compared to the classroom site above.  They are both valuable to the users in different ways. One is a conglomerate of resources that can be edited by the community and the other a community of shared projects and activities.


Good sites to visit for wiki inclusion ideas...
50 Ways to Use Wikis in the Classroom
Using Wikis in the Math Classroom

Chapter 1

Collaboration!  That's what it's all about!  Technology takes collaboration, and collaboration means there is a balance of power.  I think the best part of digital resources is learning right along with your students.  The reading this week reinforced the idea that no matter how limited or plentiful your resources are, there is tremendous appeal to using technology in instruction.  In the classroom snapshot, there was an increase in motivation and collaboration when Kim Buie chose to introduce a new way of writing stories by partnering with older students and computers.

I certainly wasn't thinking 'literacy' when I was creating a blog, but the idea of learning something new technologically was motivating.  After reading further about Student and Teacher Blogging that Succeeds  and Learning about Blogs FOR Your Students, I was blown away at the connections made between writing and reading, as well as the motivation to become a better reader and writer because of the global environment.  Even after posting this, I continue to go back and evaluate what I have written so that it makes sense and uses correct grammar and spelling because I know that classmates, and maybe even strangers in the web world, will be viewing and critiquing what I put here.

In the world of constructivism, I learned that blogging is a wonderful way to reflect on your learning and better understand your own thinking.  Blogs allow us to interact with each other in ways that can help us improve our literacy.  It makes sense that teachers have made so many provisions to 'teach' using differentiation, but what an amazing opportunity to differentiate your own learning.  Blogs allow us to include graphics, links, videos, and audio that connect our thoughts and provide student-centered learning opportunities that engage each author to utilize varied forms of communication.

I absolutely love the graphic created by Dean Shareski about this connective literacy:

Welcome to my blog!

What a wonderful thing technology has become, and will be!  I have loved becoming part of MoBap and learned so much in Applications of Technology.  One of my favorite tools that I use on a daily basis is Symbaloo.  If you are looking for a math or professional development page, come visit me at http://www.symbaloo.com/profile/mrsa.