Collaboration with WIKIs

Because I have used WIKIs myself for quite some time, and for only the one purpose - to plan group assignments in a university context, I got really stuck for ideas of different ways of using WIKIs in a student centred way in a Primary Classroom. So after a bit of searching, I came across the great website - 50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom. It breaks the 50 ideas into 7 different categories:

1. Resources Creation
2. Student Participation
3. Group Projects
4. Student Interaction
5. For the Classroom
6. For the Community
7. Other

Some of the ideas that would best fit into both Oliver's Learning Design model (1999) and Keirsley & Shneiderman's Engagement Theory (1999) are the 7 ideas in the 'Community' section.

One of these ideas fits in pefectly with a Unit my Mentor teacher did last year. It was a Healthy Food Unit in a year 3 class. It was a transdisciplinary unit with a genre based approach - the genre being prcedures. This unit could be adapted so that learners use a WIKI to collaboratively create a Healthy Foods recipe book. Learners can then research and test different recipes, categorise them (e.g. snacks, salads, breakfast etc.) and use the Procedure genre to share the recipes with peers and other stakeholders on the WIKI. The URL for the WIKI can be shared with other classes for them to view and even printed in the school newsletter to encourage healthy lunch boxes. Learners may even come up with their own recipe ideas, or even find out and share why their recipes are good (both good in taste and good for you).

There are alot of other good ideas on the website that are really practical to integrate into classroom. Another one that I like is a Choose Your Own Adventure collaborative story. Check out the site for more information.

Let me know what you think of my ideas, and also if you have any others to add!!