Richardson Chapter 3 and 4

Wikis and Blogs!!!  Oh my, is there a lot for me to learn.  While reading these two chapters, this quote by Richardson stood out to me: “Regardless of how educators feel about the potential of wikis, and I can understand the hesitancy many teachers feel, one thing remains certain: The collaborative environment that wikis facilitate can teach students much about how to work with others, how to create community, and how to operate in a world where the creation of knowledge and information is more and more becoming a group effort” (p. 69).   I would say that this quote definitely expresses my thoughts on wikis. I am nervous about them, yet, at the same time, I am quite intrigued with the idea of them.

 I have had many thoughts floating through my mind.  The ideas of wikis are still very new to me, yet I am beginning to see how great they could be.  For example, while searching for examples of wikis I came across Mrs. Ballweg's 3rd Grade Class wiki.  I could definitely see myself, at some point, doing this within my own classroom.  I love the idea of student learning being collaborative.  I like the fact that they can go in and work on this “working document,” adding and taking away what they feel is best.   Seeing students working and learning together is something that is extremely important to me.  I have a lot to work on before ever putting something like this into play within my classroom, but I could definitely see the benefits of using wikis within the classroom.