Classroom+Wikis

Going paperless? More and more schools are trying to use less paper. Teachers are being encouraged to make their content available to students 24/7. The Flipped Classroom is becoming more and more popular. Here are some classroom wikis for you to evaluate.
 * What is the purpose of the wiki?
 * Is it collaborative?
 * Does it provide a fluid environment for the students?
 * Are the directions clear?
 * Does the wiki allow for more opportunities than the traditional method of teaching?

6th Grade Math Wiki This is a math wiki I created for our 6th grade teachers. At first glance it might look like they have to be tied to their textbook. However, the intent is to use the textbook as a guide and to show that there are many, many resources available to help teach this content. This is written for students. They will be able to access this at any time and practice the interactives as needed. Parents will also be able to access this wiki and, consequently, be able to help their child. Mrs. Gray's First Grade Wiki This wiki is a place for special projects in first grade. Mrs. Goertzen's Guidebook Wiki This is a 4th grade wiki. Mrs. Goertzen's classroom rules, the class schedule, the calendar, favorite sites, and special projects are all on this wiki. She also has a blog by the same title. Educational Wikis This list goes on and on. Pick a few to evaluate to help you get some ideas.

I know that wikis can be confusing, well, really it's the organization of the wiki that is confusing. Plan out your wiki on paper before you start! Some teachers set up one wiki to house everything (Mrs. Goertzen's for example). Others create a wiki for a specific purpose, ex. to teach figurative language. If you create a wiki for every unit you have you'll end up with a lot of wikis. That's ok! They're free! Some teachers create a portal page wiki. That would be just ONE page. On it are links to all their wikis. There are just so many possibilities. The planning and organization is probably where you'll spend most of your time! Ideas: Literature Studies Portfolios Communication Tool - classroom expectations, embed a calendar, etc. Content Tutorials Poetry Unit Showcase VoiceThreads Embed Videos This is a great blog post from Cool Cat Teacher on how she used wikis with her students (or allowed her students to add content to wikis!) @http://coolcatteacher.visibli.com/share/CxY88Z