How will Wikis improve my teaching? What should I use a Wiki for?

Susan Wettenkamp-Brandt, a former ABE teacher at Lehmann, is now a Tech specialist with the MLC. She has set up a wiki adult education site here.

Here is what I took from Susan's site:

Wikis are a good tool to use if you want to:

• post student writing or other creative work, allowing for peer and/or teacher editing and comments
• give students an online space for collaborating on group projects
• post assignments and relevant materials for your students (syllabus, handouts, etc.)
• facilitate an online exchange (between two classes, for example)

Examples of teaching ideas: adultedtech.pbwiki.com/Teaching-with-a-Wiki-Examples

A blog is another online tool, like a journal, that can facilitate teaching and learning.

Blogs are a good tool to use if you want to:

• post student writing or other creative work (photos, slideshows, videos, etc.) allowing forcomments but not editing
• help students develop their personal style or writing voice by keeping their own blog
• encourage students to reflect on their learning
• open up a forum for discussion by posting items which students can react to through comments or on their own blogs
• post class news updates and/or log what you did in class each day

Both blogs and wikis are good tools if you want to:

• build your students' basic computer and Internet skills
• provide an authentic purpose and audience for student writing
• link students to great web content (videos, podcasts, exercises, etc.) quickly and easily, while providing a space for students to respond to that content
• build your own computer competency while building a curriculum that you will be able to refer back to at the click of a mouse.

Why PBwiki? by Susan WB

At my most recent "teaching with wikis and blogs" workshop, one of the participants asked me "Why PBwiki? [and not a different wiki service]"?  This is an excellent question, as there are a number of good wiki sites out there.  My answer is:

1. Most of the other ABE wiki sites that I know of are on PBwiki.  I thought it was a good idea to be consistent.
2. PBwiki allows free private wikis (some other services only allow free public wikis, and charge for private ones).
3. PBwiki is entirely ad-free.  Yay!
4. PBwiki has good support for educators.  (Though so do some other wiki services, such as Wet Paint.)
5. PBwiki was planning to improve the "add users" function to allow teachers to quickly and easily add student accounts to their wiki even if those students do not have email accounts!  (This feature is now available.  Woo-hoo!)
6. They just added spell check shortly after I requested such a tool! Pretty good service. (Gina's edit)