Wiki+use+in+my+classroom

In an age when almost all students are computer literate, it seems like almost a crime to leave this new form of literacy out of a reading course. By bringing a wiki into my classroom, I will be opening up a new medium for discussion. As cited by Cummins, Brown, and Sayers (2007), Guthrie (2004) states "if no social interchange is allowed, students' cognitive efforts to read and understand evaporate quickly" (p. 49). I will be forcing the students to do more than just facebook and chat online and actually use technology for an educational reason. "Probably more significant for overall academic development is the way computers and other forms of technology are used in schools" (Cummins, Brown, and Sayers, 2007, p.95). A wiki for my classes will not only allow the students to have an ongoing communication about material, not ended when the bell rings, but they will also be able to follow links and have the internet right at their fingertips. Using a wiki will help enlighten the students as to my (the teacher's) thought process and resources. Instead of a linear sort of teaching (teacher talks, students listen), everyone is involved in the teaching and learning. "When students take ownership of the learning process and invest their identities in the outcomes of learning, the resulting understanding will be deeper than when learning is passive" (Cummins, Brown, and Sayers, 2007, p.43). Again, this is an open discussion taking place at the students' pace.