Journal Response--E

Wikis are becoming more popular as technology is advancing. One place that the wiki can especially be put to use is the classroom. While most people usually concentrate on how students can learn using the wiki, there are many ways that educators can use them as well.

In the article I read for this week, the author gave 8 specific ways that a wiki can help educators complete tasks and collaborate with one another. One way that wikis can be useful to educators in the classroom is it decreases interruption of instructional time. Instead of wasting classtime to tell teachers announcements, etc., this information can be posted right on the wiki for teachers to access during freetime. Also, all teachers' schedules, bell schedules, meetings, and other things can be posted on the wikis so each teacher knows where to find their colleagues at all times.

Another advantage is that wikis can make meetings more efficient. Before the meeting, information that will be shared can be posted on the wiki to give faculty an idea of the things that would be discussed. That way, when the meeting started, the instructor would be able to jump right in. Also, teachers could use the wiki to discuss issues even after the meeting was over.

In many schools, more than one teacher teaches a certain subject. Wikis can also be used to let these teachers collaborate and bounce ideas off of each other. Information, lesson plans, websites, videos, and other sources can be easily shared online in order to help these teachers out.
Wikis are also a great way to keep things organized. Instead of getting papers, documents, newsletters, brochures, etc., in their mailboxes every day, this information can be uploaded to the wiki. This ways, these things won't be scattered in desks, file cabinets, and offices. Instead, they will be easily accessible online. Also, teachers will never have to worry about having enough copies or writing on the only copy, because there will be an endless supply on the internet.

After reading this article, I am thoroughly convinced that wikis are a great tool. Not only can they be extremely helpful in the classroom, teachers can use them to communicate with their colleagues as well. I think that wikis are going to become more popular as time goes on, and they will change the way students and teachers communicate with one another.

Author Unknown (2009). Tech & learning. Eight ways to use school wikis. Retrieved March 16, 2010, from http://www.techlearning.com/article/22126.