I began this Wiki exercise by using WetPaint to co-ordinate/organise a fictitious camping trip. I am certainly no IT expert and have been amazed at how easy it is to do. I created an additional person/account and responded to a post in regards to the camping trip.
I can see how this would be fantastic for future camping trips. We generally go twice a year with several other families and on the last trip, we all decided we need to have more communication prior to the trip so we can co-ordinate meals and which family will bring certain equipment etc. In a short period of time, I can see how fantastic this tool will be for improving communication between all of us before any trip, particularly as most of us are business owners and find catching up together to discuss these items before we go virtually impossible.
After viewing another students ideas about utilising Wiki's for a business, I thought that I too could benefit from this idea for our business. So, in addition to the WetPaint Wiki, I also created a Wiki in WikiSpaces. I really did this just to see which one was easier to work with. Whilst I didn't go ahead and create anything on the WikiSpaces site for the business at this stage, it was great seeing how they differed. I also really enjoyed seeing other students ideas and how Wiki's could assist them in the classroom and also in their personal lives.
It is amazing how engaged in learning you become when you can gain from it on a personal level. After this exercise in particular, I am really beginning to understand the importance of engaging our students in their learning utilising something that is meaningful to them. As teachers, we must strive to provide students with tasks that have meaning and purpose, as it motivates students to learn. We as teachers can facilitate this by ensuring we provide students with authentic learning opportunities where they can utilise their own personal interests and experiences as the platform to create, problem solve, reason, utilise decision making skills and evaluate outcomes (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).
Kearsley & Shneiderman's (1999) believe that by engaging students, they will intrinsically become motivated to learn due to the meaningful nature of the activity. They further believe that the Engagement Theory encompasses three components - Relate, Create and Donate. By Relating the topic to the student, it will increase their motivation and contribute to their overall effort of engagement. When a purposeful activity is Created, students will have a focus and a sense of control over their learning and project creation. Finally, as a result of the above relate and create elements, the outcome will ultimately provide a useful contribution which then encompasses the Donate component.
When I thought about how Wiki's could be utilised in the classroom, the opportunities are endless. One item that sprung to my mind when I was doing this exercise is a camp that I went on in year 6. We were required to take all of our own camping equipment, so in small groups we were required to work out what we needed and who was bringing each item. I have a distinct memory of our small group going to one of my friends houses on the weekend to work on our list of necessary equipment and learn how to put up the tent.
This exercise could have easily been introduced into the classroom setting with the use of a Wiki . The students, their parents and the teachers could then have the opportunity to view and contribute to the list both during school hours and at home (homework). All students, including those who may be shy and reluctant to speak in class, have the opportunity to contribute equally. Active learning is all about providing a secure environment where they can grow and explore new ideas. Active learning involves students being provided with a learning opportunity that involves more than just listening. Using Wiki's, students are given the opportunity to read, write, discuss and be involved in problem solving. Bonwell & Eison (1991) note that in students are likely to further engage in higher order thinking tasks involving analysis and evaluation during active learning (Bonwell & Eison, 1991)
Reference List
Bonwell, C & Eison, J 1991, 'Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom', ERIC Digest, viewed 8 May, 2010, http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/bib/91-9dig.htm
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICT's for Learning Design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
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