In general, I like to blog or use Facebook better than use the wiki. However, I can see the many possibilities with a wiki. I hesitate to use a wiki with high schoolers, even though they would love it. There is the chance that they will erase what others write just out of spite or like I said in my earlier post, to be "funny." For my elementary kids, I could find it quite useful, but I would need to make sure they all could remember the password, etc for editing purposes. Keeping parents involved is of course essential, as with all technology.
With my blog, I am the one writing and editing. With a wiki, anyone that is invited to share, may edit it. That's OK as long as the use is not lost in the writing. It would be more appropriate to use a wiki when collaborating on a project. It is better to use a blog when just wanting a discussion situation. I prefer for students to use the blog because they can't edit what someone else has said. The wiki would work well for projects as long as students were using it in a positive way. Students, in general, will like both using a blog and a wiki. It's using technology in the classroom and they are all for that.
CR
You've provided some good examples of when a blog might be more appropriate than a wiki and vice versa. Also, when thinking of a wiki I think in terms of it being user created. What if we let the students set up their own group wiki, invite members, establish their own guidelines and policies for appropriate use? The more ownership they can take in their oollaborative space, the less likely they will be to deface it. Of course, it depends on what age group one is working with, but hopefully these tools are not just going to change the way we educators work, but the way we allow our students to work as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd, you called out one of the most important pieces of all, keeping parents informed and involved. There sure is a lot to think about in this change process, isn't there! What's next?