Reflection of Wikis and Blogs
I have no solid background of using wikis and blogs, educationally or personally. I have looked at both before now, but I have never actually used or created either one myself. The first time I had the opportunity to do this was for our grad classes. Our school, more specifically each grade level and some individual specials teachers, use wikis to communicate to students, parents, and other staff members. I have found that I can navigate the wikis fairly easily because I simply had to click on links or read the information written.
Wikis
I have learned that wikis are great for collaboration among people. All people can contribute to “the conversation” and keep others informed on a topic...lessons, resources, assignments, etc. I think it’s great that things like videos, images, and links can be included rather than simply having text. Very few people enjoy looking at pages overloaded with text. We get bored easily and then tune out quickly. Not only do wikis work for adults, but they also work for students. They may actually be better for students because they are in a format familiar to what they like and prefer.
Wikis, as long as they are visually appealing, could be a great and valuable tool for my ELL students. I’m just not sure how valuable one would be for the parents of my students. After surveying my students, I have found that many of their parents do not typically use computers for keeping up with school news. They find it confusing, inconvenient, or too impersonal. I’ve also had some parents tell me their children won’t help them navigate the various school “tools,” making the “tools” uncomfortable and difficult for them to use. As for a wiki for my students, I would like to create one with the various resources, such as websites of educational games and activities. Not only would the websites be listed, but I could also visually show them how to access information within specific websites through the use of youtube video clips. Too often, students (not only ELL) are overloaded with words. The students would also be able to share other sites they find useful. I like that I wold then be able to remove any I think aren’t really appropriate. Because students love being on a computer, a visually appealing wiki seems to make sense for supporting my ELL students.
Blogs
I have learned that blogs can also be a great tool for my students. At first, I was hesitant thinking they were simply a way for people to “talk” online about their personal lives. It was just a way to vent. After viewing some of the educational blogs, I discovered I was very wrong. I found one blog I really liked. It was http://targetenglish.wordpress.com. This blog happened to be more professional than just the average personal blogging, but I found the format to be something I really found useful. The whole blog site was in a “how to...” format. It was quite clear by the title of the blog what was going to be explained. Within the blog, the information was given in clear steps. I immediately thought of how great this would be for my ELL students. So often I break explanations down into steps when I work with my students. I also like how the students would be able to comment and ask questions or say whether or not the explanation made sense to them. I saw the light! Blogging has really come to the top of my list of what I would like to try with my students.
Blogging hasn’t been used in my classroom yet, but I think it will be soon. I would really like to start using it as a way to have that extra resource available to students. Since I supplement most of the classes my students have, this would be a way for me to give more explanation to the concepts learned in their other classes. Since I don’t get to see all of my ELL students daily or even every other day on a regular basis, they could still benefit from my help through my blog. Not only would the students be able to get the help, but the staff members in my school building would also be able to see how I am helping the students. They could contribute to the conversation or borrow and use ideas in their own classrooms. Blogging, you’ve become a new goal of mine!
I have no solid background of using wikis and blogs, educationally or personally. I have looked at both before now, but I have never actually used or created either one myself. The first time I had the opportunity to do this was for our grad classes. Our school, more specifically each grade level and some individual specials teachers, use wikis to communicate to students, parents, and other staff members. I have found that I can navigate the wikis fairly easily because I simply had to click on links or read the information written.
Wikis
I have learned that wikis are great for collaboration among people. All people can contribute to “the conversation” and keep others informed on a topic...lessons, resources, assignments, etc. I think it’s great that things like videos, images, and links can be included rather than simply having text. Very few people enjoy looking at pages overloaded with text. We get bored easily and then tune out quickly. Not only do wikis work for adults, but they also work for students. They may actually be better for students because they are in a format familiar to what they like and prefer.
Wikis, as long as they are visually appealing, could be a great and valuable tool for my ELL students. I’m just not sure how valuable one would be for the parents of my students. After surveying my students, I have found that many of their parents do not typically use computers for keeping up with school news. They find it confusing, inconvenient, or too impersonal. I’ve also had some parents tell me their children won’t help them navigate the various school “tools,” making the “tools” uncomfortable and difficult for them to use. As for a wiki for my students, I would like to create one with the various resources, such as websites of educational games and activities. Not only would the websites be listed, but I could also visually show them how to access information within specific websites through the use of youtube video clips. Too often, students (not only ELL) are overloaded with words. The students would also be able to share other sites they find useful. I like that I wold then be able to remove any I think aren’t really appropriate. Because students love being on a computer, a visually appealing wiki seems to make sense for supporting my ELL students.
Blogs
I have learned that blogs can also be a great tool for my students. At first, I was hesitant thinking they were simply a way for people to “talk” online about their personal lives. It was just a way to vent. After viewing some of the educational blogs, I discovered I was very wrong. I found one blog I really liked. It was http://targetenglish.wordpress.com. This blog happened to be more professional than just the average personal blogging, but I found the format to be something I really found useful. The whole blog site was in a “how to...” format. It was quite clear by the title of the blog what was going to be explained. Within the blog, the information was given in clear steps. I immediately thought of how great this would be for my ELL students. So often I break explanations down into steps when I work with my students. I also like how the students would be able to comment and ask questions or say whether or not the explanation made sense to them. I saw the light! Blogging has really come to the top of my list of what I would like to try with my students.
Blogging hasn’t been used in my classroom yet, but I think it will be soon. I would really like to start using it as a way to have that extra resource available to students. Since I supplement most of the classes my students have, this would be a way for me to give more explanation to the concepts learned in their other classes. Since I don’t get to see all of my ELL students daily or even every other day on a regular basis, they could still benefit from my help through my blog. Not only would the students be able to get the help, but the staff members in my school building would also be able to see how I am helping the students. They could contribute to the conversation or borrow and use ideas in their own classrooms. Blogging, you’ve become a new goal of mine!
Previously, I was thinking of wikis more for parent use to let them know about homework and events, but now I really like the idea of students using them for projects. So even though you don't know if your students parents have the knowledge or capability to use a wiki, I think it could still be valuable for the students. One of things I really like about using a wiki for a project is that students can continually change and work on it. It can be a work in progress. A blog often seems so permanent. I think there are ways you could use it for students acquiring English. We will have to talk in person about that because I have some ideas but it is too long to write here.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about how much parents would use the wiki and/or blog. I have parents that don't check a daily folder, I cannot see them checking a wiki. That's one reason I thought about making my future wiki more for student use -- maybe a place for them to begin by posting and bragging about their successes.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that many parents "check" their child's grade via the web but when it comes to class information do they still? I think creating a wiki and blog for students allows them to become digital citizens. In the ELL world, I could see how beneficial this could be for you to get to know your students more. It would also give them the opportunity to be honest. If there is something that is bothering them, they may be more likely to say something. Did you find any examples of ELL wikis or blogs for students?
ReplyDeleteI truly had not realized how beneficial a wiki could be for ELL students to visually see the information as they are learning it or need to reference it after class. One of the most valuable things I have learned from you over the last year is that most strategies that help ELL students can really help regular education students too!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely when you said that wikis and blogs can be great communication and collaboration tools. I have also noticed the dilemma of not all families having access to technologies in their homes. I am wondering what is the best route to get around this problem? Do we send paper copies to everyone, or is there another option?
ReplyDeleteYour reflection reminded me of a conversation I was having with some of the special ed teachers I work with. We were discussing how the special ed students really liked the wikis that most of their teachers have put up. They don't feel as overwhelmed going to the wiki for extra help or for projects; where as, with a book right away they start to panic. I would think ELL students would have a similar response and would appreciate a resource that is not so cumbersome to read.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Heidi...
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of each school year, our secretary gives each parent a "how do you want your notices?" sheet. Parents may choose paper, email, or both. I haven't really used this method in my classroom since I only sent monthly newsletters. This year we are required to send weekly newsletters, so I may give this method a try. Hopefully (eventually) I'll be able to add "check my wiki" to the list.
Blogs would be great a tool for ELL students. Various research articles reported that the use of blogs effected on the ELL students' writing skills as well as their higher-order thinking skills in many different ways.
ReplyDelete