On this last assignment, I searched wikipedia for a page related to the building where I teach. I was able to find our high school, but not the middle school. So, I logged in and tried to create a page for the Kalkaska Middle School. It was a little strange as the editing format took some getting used to. After a short time, I had created the site shown above. As you can see, the site needs some revisions. I pulled much of the stats from school documents. When I awoke the next morning, it appeared that I needed third party references. So I spent the morning scouring the internet to find other sites not associated with the KMS to back up what was displayed on the page.
I realize that you probably cannot read the picture too well, but it should be noted that we met AYP this year and received our first ever "A" on the state's report card! This was a cause for celebration amongst the staff. We have a close knit group of educators working in the building. Many put time in above and beyond what is expected. It looks as if it may be paying off for us. Our reading scores have improved dramatically (on the 07-08 MEAP we were the highest in our ISD), and the staff is continuously working to implement new strategies for instruction and intervention.
Other additions the the KMS Wikipedia page included our count (approximately 330 students), major field trips per grade, and the location of the town.
The wiki page that I have created is geared for my 8th grade science class. It is titled moorescience8 and I've come to realize that it might be a great way for the 8th grade teachers to collaborate our curriculum. (Picked that up from the Warlick article.) I have to admit that at this point, the wiki seems very similar to a blog. Comments on how the two are different and how you would best use a wiki would be appreciated.
I use a wiki very much like I use a classroom website. I post class discussions (I am new to this, and we just started today actually!), homework assignments, parent letters and Power Points, links to homework help sites, student sites to go to for early finishers, classroom expectations and my syllabus, and I am looking toward adding a page that links classroom assignments to my wiki. You can also embed videos that you want the class to view, as well as any other media you want to share with your class. To me, a wikispace is like combining all of the web 2.0 applications into one medium. I'm still learning, but it seems to have endless possibilities. One trick I learned from another teacher is to keep your class wiki protected. Students can not edit pages in the class wiki, but can add to your discussion board. They can have their own wikis...i.e. 6A, 6B, and 6C wikis that they can edit and collaborate on, but it may be advantageous to protect the documents you put on your home wiki. I am just beginning to use some of the collaborations, so I'll let you know how it goes!
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