Classroom+Wikis



We created 2 classroom wikis: "Sixth Grade Music" and "What is Creativity" Please visit __both__ wikis!

 Sixth Grade Music In one sixth grade music class the students went to the link Plern.com to create their own song on the computerized piano. They then learned how to embed their song as a widget and also add comments about to their classmate songs- either through the discussion board or by actually editing the wiki page.

The Students in this class also created a group song using another program "Groovy City" in which the output is a visual Cityscape as well as a unique audio track. I added the picture of their Cityscape to a voicethread and used the comment feature to add the audio track. Students used the teacher created avatars to comment on the track they created.

Sixth Grade student using laptop and LCD projector to show parents and other students the sixth grade wikispaces at Seabrook's Spring Concert.

What is Creativity ? (click the question mark to find out)

In the other sixth grade class I began the wikispace with a simple question: "What is Creativity?" I added visual art and music widgets that I thought would promote discussion on this topic such as "Create Your Own Jacson Pollock Painting", "Create Your Own Beat Track" and many more. The students began working with appropriate use of the discussion board and gradually were able to add some of their own content including song lyrics and a video. They also worked with editing font colors, backgrounds and layout. Finally, the students took pictures of their artwork related to the topic "What is Creativity?" and commented on each one using the voicethread/podcasting technology. The students discovered and implemented ways to document their ideas and practice for their promotion ceremony. For example, they used the comment feature on voicethread to record their rap ideas. They also learned how to embed the videos of other songs that they wanted to sing for the ceremony. This allowed for easier teacher monitoring for practice during class (students only needed to be on one site- the wikispace) and ease of student practice at home. They knew that all the songs they were working on were right on the wiki. The wikispace was a very effective teaching tool for three reasons: 1) The students were higly motivated to learn it's functions. 2) There are a wide variety of possibilities for classroom and artistic use. 3) The wiki can help the teacher keep organized about assignments, homework, and resources... without any paper!
 * // Reflection:

Only one major downside: For educational use I would recommend turning off the email message option. After I figured out how to do that the students were must less distracted and better able to focus on their wiki assignments. //**

Maryland Teacher Technology Standards: I. Information Access, Evaluation, Processing and Application I.3 Organize, categorize and store information for efficient retrieval. I. 4 Apply information accurately in order to solve a problem or answer a question. V. Integrating Technology into the Curriculum and Instruction V.2 Evaluate technology materials and media to determine their most appropriate instructional use. V.4 Use appropriate instructional strategies for integrating technology into instruction. V.5 Select and use appropriate technology to support content-specific student learning outcomes. V.6 Develop an appropriate assessment for measuring student outcomes through the use of technology. V.7 Manage a technology-enhanced environment to maximize student learning. VII. Professional Growth VII.2 Use resources of professional organizations and groups that support the integration of technology into instruction. VII.3 Continually evaluate and reflect on professional practices and emerging technologies to support student learning. VII.4 Identify local, state and national standards and use them to improve teaching and learning.

Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for Students: Grade 6: Standard 1.0 Technology Systems: A. Systems 1. Demonstrate knowledge of technology systems 1.b Identify types of files by their icons and extensions Standard 2.0 Digital Citizenship A. Technology and Society 1. Explain how technology affects the individual and society. 1.c Recommend ways technology can be used to meet the needs of societies (in this class the social network of the Sixth Grade class) B. Legal and Ethical Issues 1. Practice responsible and appropriate use of technology systems, software, and information. 1.a Explain the purpose of and follow the acceptable use policy. 1.b Work cooperatively with others when using technology 1.c Practice responsible use of technology systems 1.f Use safe and correct security procedures (such as protecting password and user ID) Standard 3.0 Technology for Learning and Collaboration A. Learning 1. Select and use technology tools to enhance learning. 1.a Use technology tools, including software and hardware, from a range of teacher-selected options to learn new content or reinforce skills. 1.b Explain why specific technology tools were selected to support learning. 1.c Assess the use of the selected technology for individual learning of the specific task. B. Encourage Collaboration 1. Select and use technology tools to encourage collaboration. 1.a Use technology tools to work collaboratively within the school community. C. Increase Productivity 1. Select and use technology tools to increase productivity. Standard 4.0 Technology for Communication and Expression A. Communication 1.a Use communication tools (such as discussion boards and portfolios) to gather information, share ideas, and respond to questions. 1.c Evaluate the appropriateness of media formats for various purposes. B. Expression 1.a Select and use the appropriate multimedia and publishing tools to express original ideas with print, drawings, digital images, video, sounds and/or personal recordings. 1.b Present ideas and information in formats such as electronic presentations, web pages, graphic organizers, or spreadsheets that are appropriate to a specific audience. 1.c Change, edit, and revise graphs, graphics, presentations, and word processing documents (in this case wikipage) 1.d Evaluate student-created product design based on purpose, audience, and format.