Parker and Chao (2007) enlightens us on the use of the Web 2.0 tool, the wiki, in the classroom. They aver that the wiki (from the Hawaiin word wiki wiki which means quick) is a collaborative tool that engenders group work and interaction. Some authors call it constructionism because learning is actively constructed. This falls into the constructivist theory which was advocated by Dewyey and others. This theory says that children who are learning do so naturally and actively make meaning while they are learning.(As an aside- I often watch my neice, nephew and other children at school on the computer and marvel at the facile with which they go about their business on the computer and the internet. My neice will be engaged in watching a movie, chatting with her friends online and be doing homework on the side. Sometimes she is doing the homework on the computer as well. So much for active construction of knowledge!)
Back to the wikis-Lamb (2004) said that the "most common pedagogical application of wikis is supporting writing instruction". He said that it can be used for reflection, reviewing, publishing and observing the whole picture as it unfolds for the teacher in terms of how the students are performing.I think that basically students will be in good stead for the world of work as computer literacy is needed in the workplace. We teachers will do well to continue to use the wiki tool and others to sharpen our skills. Even though the technologyis changing swiftly we will still have the experience on the computer to keep us from rusting.Some uf us may not have internet access in our schools but we should still keep up with the technology.
I have to respond to this blog because I am really interested in the way wikis can be used to support writing among students. I came across a quote by Robert Cummings that was used in an article authored by WolfWikis which states" ...one of the main benefits of teaching writing in a large scale wiki environment is that it replaces the writing teacher with a real audience and allows the teacher to truly coach the writers to create more effective prose." This quote corroborates what you have stated before, in that students are allowed to construct their own knowledge when using wikis. Cummings iterates here that the teacher has more of a guiding role in assisting the students to write well and not be a sole authority to their writing. We know that for many years experts in the field of Education have been emphasizing that teachers adopt the role of guide and not the tyrannical role that can be commonly found in the classroom. For mainly this reason I am attracted to the wiki as an instructional tool.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI too, have a great interest in the way wikis can be used to support writing among students. I like the independence it gives them while allowing the teacher to be the guide on the side. I love the interaction it affords our students and the idea of having their peers review their work and that their finished pieces can be published.It is a fact that wikis create real audience.I believe there is a place in our classrooms for wikis.