All through my undergrad I heard all about Wikipedia and how it was a horrible source of information for research projects and papers. I wasn't told that it was a good place to start, I was told to avoid it altogether because it was an unreliable source. I can see now that while Wikipedia may not be the best source of information, it IS a great starting point for research, especially if you don't know a whole lot about what you are researching. That was the extent of my knowledge of "wikis," period.
I frequently have heard ITRTs mention to teachers that a Wiki is a fabulous collaboration tool. The teachers thought it was great, but me, not wanting to sound dumb, didn't ask. I wish I had.
The fact that it allows multiple people to contribute to a wiki page is fantastic for the classroom. I can see uses for it in almost any subject (yes, even physical science and math - I'll talk about this later). I can even see a use for it with the rollout of our new Student Information System (SIS). I think it would be awesome for us to put up a series of Wiki pages that allowed teachers to share instructions, or tips and tricks, to using the system. The TSS could post resources (both print and video) and teachers and staff could contribute to those instructions. We could use it to keep staff up to date on upgrades, new features...possibly even a forum to suggest new enhancements.
Perhaps as the department culture shifts with this next re-organization, we can shift how we exchange information with teachers and staff.
2 comments:
Bob,
What a great idea to use a wiki to share information, updates, links and other information about technology programs your office will be rolling out. I think that teachers would really find having a resource like a communal wiki so helpful because they could post tips, ideas or questions and feel less isolated and unsure about adapting to new technology. This kind of wiki could serve as a 'backyard fence' for teachers to exchange ideas, the way people used to exchange recipes or farm tips 'over the fence' in olden days. Plus I could also see this wiki being a great resource for you and your colleagues because you could see the types of problems teachers are having and respond immediately with quick-fix ideas or hints, and perhaps this would reduce the number of calls of desperation you receive, by phone or email, from schools. Once teachers and schools knew that this resource existed, they might start searching for their answers to their questions instead of always calling out, "Help! Bob, I need help!!" Great idea.
Bob,
What a great idea to create a wiki for your technology upgrade roll-outs! Not only would this provide a 'backyard fence' for teachers to use to share tips, ideas and suggestions with one another about how to use new systems (or deal with problems), it could help them create a community to encourage one another to integrate technology more into their classrooms. Just the way in people used to exchange gardening tips or barbeque recipes across their backyard fences, this kind of wiki could become a virtual space for this community to support one another.
I could also see great value in such a wiki for you and your colleagues to use as a gauge for how schools are doing at integrating new technology and which areas are causing the most trouble. You could then immediately post updates, suggestions, links, and other ideas to help teachers and schools better use and integrate the technology in their daily operations. With time, teachers might even begin to turn to this wiki more often to get the answers to their questions, instead of always calling or emailing you with their desperate cries of "Help, Bob, help!" Now wouldn't that be a nice change? Great idea!
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