By: Beth Holcomb
Wikis are websites that allow different internet users to edit and author information on the website. The teacher can use a class wiki to educate students about classroom assignments or upload students’ work to the class wiki. Teachers can also collaborate with other teachers to design wikis. This strategy allows each teacher to make changes to the wiki online and learn from the information posted by other teachers. Wikis are efficient tools for collaborating with other teachers, because the internet resources allow numerous authors to add to the text or information on the website.
I think that wikis can encourage collaboration between teachers and media specialists. Teachers and media specialists often email, engage in department meetings, and work in groups to build curriculum assignments; however, wikis will create an unconventional technique for teachers and media specialists to interact with each other. The media specialist could create a wiki for each subject area. The teacher could author and edit the information on the subject area, assignment requirements, and class information; however, the media specialist could log in to the wiki and post links to websites that would likely assist students in completing the classroom activities.
The wiki would provide the media specialist and teacher with the ability to engage in collaboration; however, they would not have to accommodate each other’s daily agendas. Teachers often have one block where they do not have students, but they must use it to grade papers, build activities for the week, design tests, and complete other conventional jobs. The teacher often lacks the ability to use this opportunity to collaborate in the library. The media specialist also must interact with students using the library, organize workshops for teachers, assist individuals with computer questions, and engage in other activities. The media specialist and teacher are inclined to have different needs and agendas. The wiki allows the two individuals to work on the activity during different blocks that are appropriate for them. The teacher and media specialist can also work on the wiki from the classroom, the library, or using their personal computer outside of school. They can quickly log in and see the work added by the other wiki participant. Wikis allow the teacher and the media specialist to engage with each other to customize a lesson; however, the two individuals will not disrupt their standard activities. Wikis provide the media specialist and teacher with an efficient technique for coordinating lessons and engaging with each other.
The media specialist and teacher can also collaborate on a classroom activity to motivate students to use a wiki. The media specialist could build a short tutorial and educate students how to create a wiki, edit information on the wiki, and create links to other websites using a wiki. The Social Studies teacher could emphasize these skills by mandating that students work in groups to design a wiki on World War II. This tactic would improve students’ knowledge of the wiki; however, it would also encourage the media specialist and teacher to interact and coordinate activities with each other.
The media specialist could also improve the teachers’ use of wikis in the classroom by designing a wiki workshop. The media specialist could educate the teachers about wikis and include suggestions for adding these resources to the curriculum. This strategy would encourage the media specialist to interact with the teachers. The classroom teachers would also be inclined to engage in collaboration with the media specialist to design their class wikis.
I think that wikis are effective tools that can allow the teacher and media specialist to engage in collaboration. The individuals can log in and learn from the information added by each other. They can also work on the project using a block that accommodates their needs. The media specialist can provide adequate training on these tools and include suggestions for fusing these tools into the curriculum.
I too think a wiki can foster collaboration between teachers and media specialists as well as parents, and students. It is unconventional however, schools have gotten busier and busier and this would be time efficient. I love the idea of creating grade level wikis so that teachers can share. Currently in my district, we are trying to get on the same track so that when a student moves, they are still up to speed with the school they enter. This is great since so much of what is done is standards based. We conduct Professional Learning Committee meetings and must document participation. Occasionally there is interference with someone being out or another meeting having come up. This is a great way to still include those not physically present. Being able to collaborate through a wiki would be fabulous for special education teachers who are teaching multiple subjects. It is hard to keep up with the regular class and attend all of the meetings. When we know what is the next thing being taught we can accommodate our students and make modifications for them.
ReplyDeleteThe wiki workshop is a great idea also. Then teachers could embrace the numerous advantages of using a wiki. Perhaps a good starting point would be for the technology specialist and the media specialist to create a tech tip wiki for the school. One that would include technical information/problem solving tips for the use of new technology such as SMART boards, SMART response systems, itouches and the like would be a great start.
A comment I hear very often from my mentor media specialist is that it is difficult to schedule collaboration time with teachers (for the very reasons Beth mentions). The development of a wiki as a collaboration and communication tool for teachers and the media specialist is wonderful. Since the wiki can be accessed at any time, the media specialist would not have to worry about leaving the media center to attend various grade level meetings. In addition, teachers could access it when they have time or even from home.
ReplyDeleteI would also suggest it would be helpful as a county wide collaboration tool for all the media specialists. They could share ideas, lessons and links. This would be particularly useful for a new media specialist.
How critical the time to meet together is for collaborative work! You bring up a great collaborative use of a Wiki. With opening the process with a Wiki Workshop, you could get some buy-in from interested teachers, rather than it feeling like a forced relationship. Allowing the collaboration to happen in those in-between moments allows both parties to capitalize on some moments in their day that most likely would not have been committed to collaboration. As some of our classmates have mentioned, having files in use housed on the Wiki, each party would not have to rely on other media drives changing hands or working off a old version of a file.
ReplyDeleteUsing wikis is a great way to solve many of the obstacles to collaboration. Teachers who are reluctant to participate in face to face collaboration with the media specialist may be willing to particpate in a wiki collaboration. However, one pitfall I see with using the wiki for collaboration is the tendeceny of busy human beings to miss deadlines. Teachers will be more likely to meet deadlines if they have to attend a face-to-face meeting with their co-workers. It will be important to set specific deadlines for contribution of work and for each contributor to agree that the deadlines are important.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of creating subject specific/grade specific wikis for teachers to share. I have noticed at my daughter's school that every fifth grade teacher has the same website links posted on the individual teacher webpages. What a waste of energy for each teacher to have to go in a update their webpage. A shared wiki would only require one person to enter or make a change. The time and energy of the teachers could be used to create one great wiki that is accurate and up-to-date rather than 10 webpages that have out-dated information.
I agree that wiki's should be the next step in collaboration. When you ask most media specialist or teachers why they don't collaborate 90% of them will answer... I just don't have time. Wiki's would be an excellent way to help promote collaboration and it be on the media specialist's time frame and the teachers as well. The fact that wiki's can be accessed from just about any computer solves this issue. Collaboration across school districts would also greatly improve. We often hear about how one school has all these great things they are doing in the classroom to engage their students, but most teachers can't leave their classroom to visit and see it in action. Wiki's would allow teachers to share their "best practices" with others to collaborate.
ReplyDeleteI really love your idea about implementing a wiki to facilitate collaboration. You make an excellent point about teachers and media specialists not always being able to find a time to collaborate during the school day due to conflicting schedules and having different daily agendas. Using a wiki in order to overcome this barrier is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI think a wiki could also be implemented to maintain a school-home connection for teachers, students, and parents. It would be a really great idea for media specialists and teachers to use wikis to communicate and collaborate with parents. For example, the media specialist could post the media center volunteer sign-up sheet to the media center wiki, and parents could go online to sign up for specific time slots to volunteer in the media center. Or, a teacher could post class events (parties, presentations, field trips, etc.) to his/her class wiki, and parents could sign up to attend or volunteer via the wiki. This would allow for a convenient and fun way for parents to interact with teachers and media specialists regarding student/school activities.
Wikis are fairly new for me. I have only used them in the last two or three classes at WestGA. During my career as an educator, I have never seen teachers using them to communicate with each other or with their classes. That being said, I am becoming more curious about how wikis might work in my school. The ideas you shared about teachers using them with their classes and the collaboration opportunities for teachers and media specialists are very exciting. It seems like a wiki would be an excellent medium for posting information, links, resources, discussion opportunities, etc. for a class. Students could check the wiki from any computer with internet access. I agree that requiring students to build a wiki as a small group project for a class would be a very engaging and educational venture. Students can design the wiki, gather information, and post their findings. They will end up with a very nice project that can be accessed by tons of people. I can see a possible fault being a lack of participation by some while other group members do most of the work. But, this can be a potential problem with any group work.
ReplyDeleteTeachers and media specialists would have a great tool to build lessons together, adding to the wiki at their convenience and editing as necessary. This sounds like a very efficient way to share ideas and develop a plan without having to be face to face or working simultaneously.
Using the wiki as a way of teacher collaboration and planning would be a wise use of time and engergy. Schools are constantly using teacher planning time as a way of filling up that one block with activities other than collaborating with the media specialist. Since much of a teacher's planning time is used for meetings, conferences and professional develop-usually content related, the wiki can provide the engagement that will allow teachers to work with a media specialist in a way that is unconventional because it may not always involve face to face contact. If the media specialist provides the initial start up with the wiki, teachers can contribute as both grade levels and content area "experts". This will not only allow a high level of collaboration, but it will serve as a major communication vehicle to keep the school connected and informed as to what is happening throughout the building. It will also serve as a means of allowing teachers to share ideas with each other that they may not always be able to share throughout the school day. This could also serve as a way of creating a place for vertical planning and alignment to take place as teachers receive students the next year that one group of teachers has already taught.
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