Part 1
As a class we were asked to look at three different wikis. I chose to review Code Blue, Digital Research Tools, and the FHS Wolves Den. The nice thing about all of these tools is they all have different purposes. One is a student project, one is a resource site, and another is a site for a classroom.
The student project had a structure where students created pages for doctors, medical causes, and imagined patient pages. The idea behind it is that it's a virtual medical clinic, and when we talk about student projects, I would really want to see context before I comment on what's missing. I think the biggest thing though is that it needs some more organization and structure. It's difficult to really see what the purpose is as the organization is a bit jumbled.
The Digital Research Tools wiki is a research tool site built on having pages built around a certain group of tools with specific tools and explanations. The idea is to give users a place to find digital tools to use. I find it interesting that on this site they both had wiki pages as well as links to the pages on the front page of the site. It's also very interesting that this site has actually moved away from a wiki and more to a website. That can actually give them more opportunities for organization.
The last site I looked at was the FHS Wolves Den podcast. This podcast is built as a classroom digital hub for a teacher in Alabama. The teacher no longer uses the wiki, and from what I can tell she move to another platform (Moodle) before she left the classroom. While it is great to have a classroom digital hub, you have to have some organization for it to really make a difference. While I am sure that at the time this was a great way to do it , there are to many tools out there today that simplify this class organization in great ways. Teachers can get the same principles through websites or through the many different LMS systems out there.
I think when you look at wikis, the issue with using them in the classroom today is that there are MUCH better ways to do what wikis are really good at. There is even proof in the actually wikis! Two of them have been disconnected for better options. I think the biggest option that exist is that you can now build well designed collaborative websites with things like Weebly.
While Weebly is out there, there is one thing that is can really be used effectively for: a way to get around student logins. The great thing about Wikis is that students can edit them without logging in. This means they can be used as collaborative writing spaces, blogs, journals, and more!
The student project had a structure where students created pages for doctors, medical causes, and imagined patient pages. The idea behind it is that it's a virtual medical clinic, and when we talk about student projects, I would really want to see context before I comment on what's missing. I think the biggest thing though is that it needs some more organization and structure. It's difficult to really see what the purpose is as the organization is a bit jumbled.
The Digital Research Tools wiki is a research tool site built on having pages built around a certain group of tools with specific tools and explanations. The idea is to give users a place to find digital tools to use. I find it interesting that on this site they both had wiki pages as well as links to the pages on the front page of the site. It's also very interesting that this site has actually moved away from a wiki and more to a website. That can actually give them more opportunities for organization.
The last site I looked at was the FHS Wolves Den podcast. This podcast is built as a classroom digital hub for a teacher in Alabama. The teacher no longer uses the wiki, and from what I can tell she move to another platform (Moodle) before she left the classroom. While it is great to have a classroom digital hub, you have to have some organization for it to really make a difference. While I am sure that at the time this was a great way to do it , there are to many tools out there today that simplify this class organization in great ways. Teachers can get the same principles through websites or through the many different LMS systems out there.
I think when you look at wikis, the issue with using them in the classroom today is that there are MUCH better ways to do what wikis are really good at. There is even proof in the actually wikis! Two of them have been disconnected for better options. I think the biggest option that exist is that you can now build well designed collaborative websites with things like Weebly.
While Weebly is out there, there is one thing that is can really be used effectively for: a way to get around student logins. The great thing about Wikis is that students can edit them without logging in. This means they can be used as collaborative writing spaces, blogs, journals, and more!
Part 2
When we look at productivity, my default is actually Google. I did not choose to investigate Google. I choose to investigate diverse Docs, One Note, and Asana. I think one could have use among faculty, one is out of date, and one could be used for collaborative work.
Instead of Google Drive, I choose to investigate Zoho Docs. While I like some of the features in it, I think for student collaboration you have to go with Google. Many schools are moving to GAFE so they have access to classroom, the students already know what they are doing on it, and the sharing capability is easy. The features in Zoho under distribute are interesting, but if you are doing collaborative projects kids should be on Google or one of the other major providers (Apple and Microsoft). Google becomes a great starting place for almost any collaborative project because it allows you to create collaborative planning documents. That's where the learning comes in! You can also have them use some of the templates and add ons to build almost anything within Google Drive.
I also invested both One Note and Asana. One Note is a digital notebook platform that sinks across multiple devices. It could be a great for kids to plan, draw , and sketch together. I am no fan of the Microsoft products, but really my only real big complain is the sync issues that come with it. I can't sync my personal account in the district I work with!. I also looked at Asana which is a shared task list. I could see this being used on administrative teams and even in schools very effectively.
When you look at the Blooms taxonomy level of Asana, One Note, and Zoho Docs, I think the key iis that the level come sin the way that you use it. All three tools are going to trend towards substitution, but as you use some of the tools for creation projects they can move into other categories.
Web 2.0 tools are incredible ways to support students with diverse needs because they provide you options. You can give students options to create. You can can give them options to collaborate. You can give them options to change accessibility. Really, the beauty is that you can adapt those tools to personalize learning for all students, and that will ensure success.
Instead of Google Drive, I choose to investigate Zoho Docs. While I like some of the features in it, I think for student collaboration you have to go with Google. Many schools are moving to GAFE so they have access to classroom, the students already know what they are doing on it, and the sharing capability is easy. The features in Zoho under distribute are interesting, but if you are doing collaborative projects kids should be on Google or one of the other major providers (Apple and Microsoft). Google becomes a great starting place for almost any collaborative project because it allows you to create collaborative planning documents. That's where the learning comes in! You can also have them use some of the templates and add ons to build almost anything within Google Drive.
I also invested both One Note and Asana. One Note is a digital notebook platform that sinks across multiple devices. It could be a great for kids to plan, draw , and sketch together. I am no fan of the Microsoft products, but really my only real big complain is the sync issues that come with it. I can't sync my personal account in the district I work with!. I also looked at Asana which is a shared task list. I could see this being used on administrative teams and even in schools very effectively.
When you look at the Blooms taxonomy level of Asana, One Note, and Zoho Docs, I think the key iis that the level come sin the way that you use it. All three tools are going to trend towards substitution, but as you use some of the tools for creation projects they can move into other categories.
Web 2.0 tools are incredible ways to support students with diverse needs because they provide you options. You can give students options to create. You can can give them options to collaborate. You can give them options to change accessibility. Really, the beauty is that you can adapt those tools to personalize learning for all students, and that will ensure success.