Thing #8 - What in the world is a wiki?

What in the world is a wiki? This is a very good question - I have spent a couple of weeks pondering on this question. I am still not sure I know enough to blog on the wiki concept but....
After exploring a few of the wikis I have have noticed that wikis can be very versatile. They can target any grade level, subject matter, geographical area, and can be used for different purposes. One purpose of the wiki is for class management. Dr. Reich's Chemistry Wiki provides resources to support his chemistry course and to showcase student projects. I really like the idea of using a wiki for this purpose, students could have easy access to class syllabus, notes, assignments and any other information that need to brought to the students' attention. Another example of using wikis for this purpose is FHS Wolves Den. This also had students list their top 5 history topics which is a great way to get students thinking about what they have learned this year and also allows you to get to know the students better. I really like the wikis that not only included students from one high school but students from high school in different cities and even countries like the Flat Classroom Project. I also saw wikis that had an entire curriculum for a project. This was an elementary project, Salute to Seuss, that celebrated Dr. Suess. Wikis like this could be a great resource for teachers. Exploring many different wikis has motivated me to use this technology in my class!!

Thing # 7 - Commenting

I can honestly say that I have never blogged to get a reader or a comment. After reading the 10 Commandments of Commenting and Commenting Etiquette that there was so much more to blogs than just personal reflections. These reflections are also suppose to stimulate a response in the form of a comment. I guess that goes along with how technology now is a 2 way street. Commenting and receiving comments can help "tweak" areas of the topic being blogged and this in return helps to improve the topic!! The tips on how to comment, why to comment and the right way to comment gave me ideas and the "courage" to try commenting. I guess time will tell if I ever blog to get a reader or a comment!!!