For our final assessment we were asked to build a lesson plan within a wiki space. The lesson plan part seemed to come easily, however the integration with the wiki was somewhat harder. I find that I have mixed feelings about wikis. Most importantly, and the biggest draw, is that a wiki is a place for the students. They are able to really create their own work and contribute to a wiki in a much different way than a classroom blog. Students do have a greater accessibility. I love the possibilities that a wiki provides. The negatives that I found were that a wiki is not as simple to operate. The basic steps and tools needed are not the problem. There are aspects of the building process that I found to be much less user friendly that building a blog, for example. I find the widgets to be slightly awkward, as well as the placement of images. Also, they are visually less attractive. I am sure that with more time and practice I can find ways to dress it up, but it does not have that visual appeal of a blog or other website. But ultimately, what is the most important?? We all know the answer to this- student learning and engagement. And if students are making connections, using higher order thinking skills while being engaged and motivated through the use of a wiki, then a wiki I will use and a wiki I will love!
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