Wiki Evaluation

http://shsaplit.wikispaces.com/home

This wiki classroom site was created a by Advanced Placement (AP) Literature and Composition class at Suffern High School in Suffern, New York. The teacher created the basic outline of the page to help students compose “literature reviews” of the novels they have read throughout the year.  It seems that the teacher published wiki project directions and embedded the initial external links to guide their thoughts/research. Students were able to choose between the following novels to base their literature review upon: Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. The students’ final literature reviews were posted on the wiki along with pictures, videos, and other internet resources. It was interesting to view all the different student perspectives concerning the same piece of literature. The students were able to tap into their critical-thinking skills to identify various influences on a piece of literature written in a specific era. The quality of written work was impressive. I do think the ability to write a review that can be seen by the public and not just the teacher increases engagement levels.     

http://thewright3.wikispaces.com/home

This wiki site was created by an elementary educator named Nancy Bosch. She structured the site to allow student collaboration on completing the page. Because the students are younger and less experienced in such literary work/technology, the teacher had to compose an outline on each page to help work completion. It was apparent that the students were taught about plagiarizing and citing their sources. The wiki was used as a means for students to show their understanding of several different texts. The students wrote chapter summaries of different books, described major and minor characters, describe an author’s background, and uncover history that lay behind historical fiction. The students were able to work on their writing, reading, researching, and collaboration skills all at the same time. The assignments were short, yet the published text on the wiki proved that students understood their reading.    

I do find the high school student wiki pages more interactive and visually appealing. I do believe that even elementary school students can be taught to create visually appealing pages (if not the students, then the teacher). It would be beneficial for both wiki sites to have posted objectives for the use of the wiki. I do believe the students are reading, writing, editing, revising, explaining, categorizing, and evaluating text. The students should have a few learning outcomes or objectives to read and internalize when using/completing the wiki page. As long as the project is aligned to the state and district curriculum standards in reading and writing, the learning will be worthwhile and justified.