A few months ago I decided to try something new with my students. After reading about the wiki textbook created by Clay Burell’s students I tried creating one of my own with one of my 8th grade classes. So far the results have been fantastic. Students regularly beg for “wiki work days” where they decode the standards and preteach themselves in small groups using the paper textbook and a variety of online resources. On top of that this project has given me the opportunity to teach my students some basic technology skills and talk to them about issues (like copyright law), which are pertinant to the YouTube/MySpace hobbies they love to maintain.
While the online textbook has been great, I have had one problem – my other 8th grade class. Due to the logicistical nature of my schedule I could really only have period work on the textbook. With the start of the new trimester my second class is creating another wiki publication – an online glossary. at this point, we only have two periods invested in the project and the results are looking great. Depending on their progress I may add another component. Perhaps a study guide? I am not sure at this point. Feel free to take a look, glean some ideas, and start a wiki of your own. Its easy! If your wiki is used for K-12 educational purposes Wikispaces will give you a Plus account(normally $50/yr) for free.
Joe
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Brilliant. Absoulutely Brilliant. I can’t wait to show my staff the exciting (and engaging) things you are doing in your class to prepare them for science. What a difference it makes when kids feel they have a say in how they learn.