Thing #8

Ok, so I checked out the wikis in our assignment and now I'm really overwhelmed. I can't imagine myself being able to create anything close to any of them.  The simplest one I found was Schools in the Past. It has one page and although very interesting content, wouldn't take very long to read.  If I were going to add anything to this wiki it would be pictures that the parents and grandparents might have of themselves relating to the school experiences they are describing.

I was very impressed with Go West. I just wish I had known about this wiki during the school year because I would definitely have shown it to my students. It has lots of concentrated information about the Westward expansion.  I especially liked the simplicity of the links on the left side of the page.  The flow chart/thinking map on the home page is an excellent example of what we are encouraged to have our students use to organize information.  Someone put lots of time into this wiki.

Grazing for Digital Natives is a one-stop-shop for using digital technology. I can't imagine anything being missing from this wiki.  I think I could probably spend hours, days, months, and probably longer and still not run out of information to learn from this site.  The content is HUGE and well organized.

My idea for a wiki would be a classroom newsletter to parents.  To be honest, I'm not the best at written communication.  My student's parents and I keep in contact by e-mail and telephone.  A classroom newsletter wiki could provide up-to-date information.  Since I teach Special Education in a self-contained setting I would have to maintain confidentiality with pictures and student names.  Are there any privacy settings on a wiki?  Can you keep the content limited to invitees?  I haven't seen any information on that.