Wiki Learning

Wikis are a great way to bring ICTs into the classroom. Not only do they allow students to access information from a variety of sources, but they can also be used to write and re-write their own ideas and relate experiences with each other.

I used Wetpaint to set up my own Wiki account. The makers of Wetpaint describe this tool as a website that is "built on the power of collaborative thinking". (wetpaint.com,inc, 2009). There are many options for a user of a Wetpaint account, as they allow you to sit anywhere on the spectrum of broadcasting your website to the entire world, or only to an invited group.

I set up my account with the idea of using it for my science unit during my practicum experience. I anticipate that the students can add, change and edit information as we complete the unit and they gain explicit knowledge of the topic. The WA Department of Education and Training (2009)argue that "Wikis encourage group social interaction and collaboration and support asynchronous communications allowing users to contribute at a time, and from a place that suits them." It is well known that students learn successfully when they contribute to their own learning.

An aspect of this process which concerned me was the monitoring process for this site. It contains many ads which change often and would be difficult to keep up with, however, for a price these can be deleted forever.

Visit Wetpaint to create your own Wiki, or have a look at mine

Regards,
Erin.



Sources:
Wetpaint.com, inc. (2009). [electronic resource] http://www.wetpaint.com/ (retrieved 13 August 2009).

Department of Education and Training WA. (2009). Resourcing the Curriculum: ICT in the classroom. [electronic resource] http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/ (retrieved 13 August 2009).