All About Wikis
This is actually not my first exposure to Wikis! I'm a big fan of Wikipedia, even though I don't think all the information is 100% accurate. And I was enrolled in a class last year that had a Wiki site. I like the fluid nature of a Wiki and have been playing around with ideas for how to use it in my classes.
Literature Circles are a popular way for giving students some control of what they read. The teacher provides a list of choices, then students select a book. The teacher offers, say, 5 books, and allows for 5 students in each group. So students rank which books they are most interested in, and the teacher then assigns groups based on student interest. The Circle, then, is like a miniature book club. Students engage in guided in-class activities and discussion with their groups.
While the freedom aspect of this is great, it's hard as a teacher to really keep a handle on who's doing the reading, who's involved in discussion, and whether or not every student is actively involved.
This year, I'm interested in setting up my Literature Circles with Wiki sites. Each student would have to post at least twice a week during the month-long circle, and I could track and comment on their discussions and monitor involvement.
I'm not sure that it will work, but I think it's worth a good try!
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