wikis. weird or wonderful.

Teachers in todays society are leaning toward much more Social Constructivist teaching methods, where there is an emphasis placed on collaborative learning with the students working together to formulate ideas and opinions. Therefore to work in line with teaching methods that have proven both successful and engaging in the classroom, Web 2.0 has introduced the concept of a wiki. Not new in any means, wikis have been around for many years however their presence in the classroom is fresh and rapidly climbing. Similar to blogs, wikis enable the opportunity for collaborative sharing amongst peers; though they then go the next step and create opportunities for learning platforms, where students can deliberate with one another, discuss with one another and formulate opinions with one another all through investigation that can be orchestrated on their wiki. Acting as a collective intelligence a wiki can be used by individuals, groups or whole grades to create an informative page that can act as an alternative textbook in the classroom or something as simple as a journal of the classroom mascot. Teachers are able to keep up to date with their students investigations/journal through visiting their wikis and witnessing the progress that has occurred. Wikis are the perfect example of social constructivism as they are enabling students to co-construct their knowledge to the highest degree; as a collective intelligence it enables the ability to share knowledge with one another and compare thoughts and opinions all working together towards the same goal, which in itself is an ideal teaching methodology. 

Unfortunately like all technology people automatically look for fault even if the benefits are clearly definable. The accuracy of wikis can be brought into questioning; however this is quickly squashed when wikis are introduced effectively into the classroom. By working collaboratively to create a unified page of information on a certain topic, there's a chance to discuss each posting and challenge misconceptions. The need to reference where information was sourced can also prevent any misleading or incorrect information. Yes, correction could be seen as time consuming from a teacher perspective but when you think of the finished product and the learning that is being undertaken to create the wiki, the investigation that the students go through or simply the collaborative experience the undertake together, it definitely outweighs the cons and don't we all want to promote a collaborative technology-rich learning environment?

The benefits of using technology is clearly evident if you simply take the time to witness it in the classroom. Technology engages students, motivating them and enabling them the opportunity to have the world essentially at their fingertips. It provides alternative new ways of learning that are appealing to the young eye that is so often distracted and disheartened when a hefty textbook is put in front of them. Something as simple as a Wiki can offer the platform for a technology-rich learning environment, promoting new dimensions of pedagogical innovation, addressing learner diversity and challenging traditional approaches (Dixon, 2010).

An interesting quote from George Siemen, a theorist on learning in a digitally based society:

 It's the change underlying these tools that I'm trying to emphasize.

Forget blogs...think open dialogue.

Forget wikis...think collaboration.

Forget podcasts...think democracy of voice.

Forget RSS/aggregation...think personal networks. 

Forget any of the tools...and think instead of the fundamental restructuring of how

 knowledge is created, disseminated, shared, and validated.

Read/Write Web with Will Richardson Pt1

social constructivism & web 2.0

Children are the future. Therefore if children are the future should we really be dictating to them as teachers or should we be allowing them the opportunity to take charge and explore the world around them? Social constructivism offers this alternative way of teaching in which teachers, as facilitators, provide the students with the opportunities to examine the world for themselves first hand. Of course like all forms of teaching there are limitations, students may not be aware of this approach and may find it daunting or confusing; the course foundations still need to be taught to a certain extent and yes for teachers it can be time consuming. However what social constructivism offers is a chance to develop further thinking & isn't that worth all the extra time in the world. A classroom where children initiate exploring individual ideas and students are their own people, instead of as Seymour Papert says "casting the child [into] the role of passive recipient of knowledge....[a] vessel to be filled...or as the receiver at the end of a transmission line" (Papert: 1993:14), social constructivist ways of teaching enable the individual a chance to learn.

Social constructivism when used correctly in a classroom can be an interesting way to teach, add technology and you've got yourself a winner. A classroom run by students minds. A classroom with the world available at the click of a mouse. Now that's a classroom that not only will engage children but also encourage them to think outside the walls they are too often confined in. So you ask, how can technology, web 2.0 specifically, be beneficial in the classroom? More importantly i think we need to start asking the question, how can web 2.0 NOT be beneficial in a classroom. 

The ability to interact with students from across the globe, communicating on topics that are of interest to them universally enables collaborative thinking to the highest degree. Web 2.0 is a platform in which students have the opportunity to become interactive learners, to reach people they never could before but most importantly to reach their potential in the classroom and to enable and address learner diversity. Through the use of interactive mediums such as web casts, discussion boards, videos, podcasts, blogs...the list goes on, students are able to share their experiences in the classroom with whomever they desire. For example a blog in its most simplest form can enable students the opportunity of an online journal in which peers (not just in the immediate classroom, but from all over the world) are able to comment and discuss reflections & encourage deeper thinking. Or it can be even more collaborative, using a mutual area of interest in the classroom, generating movies, podcasts, voxpops, animated videos and posting them all on the same blog and together they can create an interactive online source of their topic for future students to use, their own webpage. I think an interesting use of web 2.0 is the below link, it's the perfect example of how web 2.0 can help, instead of hinder children's thinking:

asking for help via web 2.0

If we stop looking at technology as a threat, and instead start thinking of it as the future, then the possibilities are endless.