Wikis

I am really starting to appreciate the benefits of wikis.  At first - like many of my peers - I viewed wikis as unreliable resources and never really considered making use of them as research tools.  My tune has changed.  I have started exploring wikis for my own use, and have been amazed at the number of resources available on just one site.  This week in my fourth grade classroom, students got on the topic of octopi and were very interested and curious to learn about these animals.  Unfortunately, science has been cut out of our curriculum.  So, this weekend I planned a math unit that integrates content about the behavioral and structural adaptatations of octopi.  When I googled "octopus", a wikipedia site was the first option to pop up.  I used this site as a starting point for my own learning, and even copied a picture from the wiki to use in a SmartBoard slide:

I really can see myself using a wiki in my own classroom, to compile student research or ideas.  I sometimes find that in my fourth grade classroom, students are reluctant to work together because of the fear that their peers will "copy" off of them - when the point IS to share ideas!  I think that starting a class wiki, at the begining of the school year, would set the tone for a classroom community where everyone learns together and sharing ideas is valued.