Thing #8 - What's up Wiki

When reading the discovery exercise descriptions for this thingy, I thought that the wikis sounded truly interesting and intriguing. However, when I got to my first wiki, I was a little disappointed. For example, the Wolves Den sounded really cool, but as soon as I arrived, I wanted to leave. There was just too much stuff on the first page. I guess that's a good sign because it implies that many people have contributed to the wiki, and it is a growing beast. I just like things simple. I forced myself to go back and to check it out, and when I got over the urge to high-tail it out of there again, I stopped and looked around. I found a couple of pretty cool things, like the NPR's 100 best fictional characters since 1900 list with a link to the audio discussion, a nice bit of trivia for the English nerd. Then, there is a place for people (I'm guessing from the school district or campus) to recommend their favorite books. Then, it has some examples of projects that the students have done. So, after I took the time to sift through the massive links, I found some interesting things. I've made a mental note, to keep my wiki simple, so I won't frighten away potential participants.

The Discover Utopias made me think of some things that I could do when we read Fahrenheit 451. This wiki has students commenting on various novels that attempt to create utopias. The students share information about the novels. After reading some of the comments, I realized that they were a little superficial and more like criticisms than analysis. I think I'd have the kids create their own utopias and share their ideas with their peers. Their peers could offer suggestions for the perfect world.

Finally, I visited 1001 flatworld tales. I liked the concept of a frame story which allowed students to contribute their own stories. The anonymity would give those shy students the courage to write and share their ides. This is something I may consider trying in the future.

Overall, I've discovered that simplicity is the best way to go and using wikis as a tool to allow students the opportunity to be creative and to share is a pretty good idea. I don't know how I feel about using wikis as a reference tool.