Thing #8

Wikis. I love them. I learned about them two summers ago during Intel training. We created our own wikis for that class, and I immediately showed my mother how do create one. She made one for each side of our family to post pictures, news and events.

I like the Room 15 Wiki!. It is one wiki with many different concepts: homework, parent help, student blogs, news and events, etc. What a great way to collect everything related to your classroom in one space. Can't you see the end of bombarding parents with hardcopies of classroom newsletters, notes, and such? What a beautiful thing!

Another wiki that really caught my attention was Salute to Seuss. Being a fourth grade class, I always read through the Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing series by Judy Blume. Every year the students are completely enamored with the characters and the author. Many of the students will search out Ms. Blume's other books and read them through out the course of the year. I really like the idea of a wiki based on an author's study. We could all post to the wiki about the books we're reading in class, and students could post on their own about her other books they read on their own. Love the idea!

There were two math wikis that caught my attention: Math 12V Outcomes Portfolio and Primary Math. What a terrific way to know that students thoroughly understand their math concepts. I think students would have a real sense of urgency in learning their math if they knew they have to prove their learning to post to the wiki.