Presentation Description: Nicolas Gutkowski, a middle school student from Virginia, describes his experiences in fifth grade when given the latitude to direct his own learning on his wiki.
Presentation Title: C^4: Leveraging The Power Of Blogs And Wikis In Student Learning
Presentation Description:
An integral part of my Physics classes is the use of web 2.0 digital tools such as wikis and blogs among others. In this presentation my 9th grade students share their experience in the use of these tools and the positive impact these tools have had on their learning.
The students relate how the class wiki encouraged collaborative learning and information sharing by facilitating communication among the members of the class. One of the major advantages of using the wiki is that the students became engaged in conversations with one another outside of the classroom that enhanced and deepened their understanding of our class topics.
They talk about being empowered as learners in taking the lead in moving us all to the next step in our physics learning experience. And I do mean us. Through the wiki and their blogs I become a co-learner with the students, able to guide where appropriate, but also learning from what they bring to the conversation. It’s a conversation unlike a typical class conversation, because we are all on an equal footing.
The students describe the additional collateral advantages coming from blogging such as improvement in their writing skills and an awareness of the importance of being a reflective learner.
The presentation wiki (http://bit.ly/ac7kcf) includes a transcript of the presentation with relevant links to published demonstration of their immersion in critical thinking, collaboration, effective communication, and creativity.
Presentation Title: Parallel Play or Collaboration–Leveraging the Wiki Platform for High Quality Work
Presentation Description: This presentation will help participants think about the differences between a project that is a glorified drop box or parallel play and one that truly involves students in authentic work which is purposeful, personally meaningful and engaging and that meets a need in the world today.
