Wiki

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Wiki's are a great thing. I think they can really be used in the classroom. I created a wiki for my CEP class and had to gear it towards my classroom. I chose to make a 'Safe Zone' wiki. This is where students can pretty much blog about their feelings in the classroom, ideas, or concerns. It is a 100% safe zone and for my eyes and the rest of the classes eyes only. I started out my wiki by writing to my 'class' about a lesson I had just done with them. I explained what the lesson was and how it was a huge success! (I explained the lesson so parents who go on the wiki know what I am talking about and have a little bit of background). The Safe Zone is a great way for me to express my gratitude on a good day and my frustration on a bad one. It is a place where I can praise my students but also address issues that may be better addressed through written words and where parents can see them as well.

For my students, I hope they use this as a space to do the same. I want them to write about a project they really enjoyed or a lesson they loved but also be able to write about something that bothered them or a lesson that they really didn't enjoy.

By creating The Safe Zone, students should feel that they have more of a voice. A place where they can share what they want when they originally felt they needed to keep it to themselves.

I have a few concerns with the wiki.
1) in all honesty, I would probably not use one in the classroom. I would not want students able to change what I say or put words in my mouth or the mouths of others.
2) I would have to trust my students 100% and keep a close eye on the wiki. I think I would feel much more comfortable using a normal webpage or blog for an assignment or something like The Safe Zone.