Thing #8 - Wiki Wiki

After viewing the YouTube Wiki video, I was pretty excited about the possibilities. I even emailed a girlfriend about it because a crew of us are going camping later this summer and  the chain of incessant emails had already begun!


I have to admit, though, after scrolling through almost every wiki listed, I was almost disappointed. Many of them had not been updated in awhile. On some of them, while the topic sounded interesting, the Wiki itself fell short. Visually, I wasn't attracted to many of them at all. I guess I was expecting more links, photos, or other elements to keep a reader's attention. If/when I try out a Wiki in my classroom, I will have to keep these things in mind!


I did enjoy several of the concepts addressed in these Wikis, though. For example, my favorite of all the ones listed is definitely The Great Debate 2008. It was organized very well, and I love the idea of having a single forum where students can face-off on controversial issues. The Flat World 1000 Tales Project had potential as well - I like the idea of giving a single prompt to my students and allowing them to use it as a springboard to develop their creative writing skills. The concept of the Thousands Project is intriguing - what a great way to show students the far-reaching impact of the internet! How cool would it be for my students to get feedback on their work from international students??


Overall, Vickey Davis' Wiki post and all of her links within were probably the most inspiring. Hopefully by the end of this course I will feel more comfortable with wikis and can explore the possibility of creating one for my classroom!