Wikis in the classroom

Wikis are a tool that I am minimally familiar with, having used them for collegial collaboration in a few different settings, but I hadn't yet wrapped my head around how to use them in the classroom. I thought the potential for collaboration was awesome, but had no clue where to start. The wikis unit of my Web 2.0 Tools course (through Fresno Pacific University) pointed me in the direction of several articles that helped me get a better grasp of how a wiki can be a useful classroom application. Through readings such as:
Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not
Wiki Ideas for the Classroom
Wiki in a K-12 Classroom
I now have of much better picture of how to use a wiki to enrich the classroom experience.

The most exciting integration idea I came across was in Will Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, in which he describes a project where students used a wiki to create a choose-your-own-ending story about the Holocaust. The students wrote a section of their story on a wiki page, and ended it with a question and two answers to choose from. Each answer is a link to a new wiki page with the next section of the story (depending on the answer chosen), and another question and answer choices at the bottom. What an amazing use of wikis! This strikes me as a perfect example of seemless integration - the tool perfectly fits the needs of the assignment, and even enhances the product. I can't wait to suggest similar activities to my teachers.

I created a wiki last year to use as a communication vehicle and resource repository with the teachers I work with. In my first year as a technology coach I used to print, copy, and deliver paper newsletters to share important dates, upcoming events, and integration ideas and resources. Last year, I upgraded from a newsletter to a wiki. It's a better fit for so many reasons - all the info is in one place, rather than scattered across multiple editions of a newsletter; updates are ongoing and instantaneous, so the info is always current; we can incorporate graphics, charts, podcasts, widgets, and other useful resources; and everyone is a contributor, so there is potential for a much richer product than what I could produce on my own. My wiki is called APHS-CFF which stands for Classrooms For the Future, the Pennsylvania grant program that I work with. The teachers involved with the grant are registered members, and only they can edit the content, but the page is available for public viewing.

The integration activity that I will encourage my teachers to try is the choose-your-ending story that I described above. This activity incorporates intensive planning, in terms of both story and page-linking, is engaging to the potential audience, and can be adapted to any subject area. It addresses most of the NETS*S standards, including Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, Digital Citizenship, and Technology Operations and Concepts.