For the 21st Century Learner Wikis in Education For the 21st Century Learner Image courtesy of educatorstechnology.com

21st Century Learners What is a 21st Century Learner? The term 21st century skills is generally used to refer to certain core competencies: Collaboration Digital literacy Critical thinking Problem solving These are skills students are expected to have mastered as they become college & career ready (Education Week, 2010).

21st Century Learning

What the Experts Say 21st century learning means students master content while producing, synthesizing, & evaluating information from a wide variety of subjects & sources (Barnett Berry). Without skills, students are left to memorize facts, recall details for worksheets, and relegate their educational experience to passivity (Sarah Wessling – 2010 National Teacher of the Year). Students must develop strong critical thinking and interpersonal communication skills in order to be successful in an increasingly interconnected and complex world (Karen Cator – Director, Office of Education Technology, US Dept of Education). 21st century learning will ultimately be learner driven (Steve Hargadon – Social Learning Consultant, Elluminate).

What Research Says Wikis are the new way for groups to collaborate and coordinate complex projects (LeFever, 2007). Wikis provide a collaborative and constructive learning environment that is an effective tool for project based learning (Parker & Chao, 2007). The use of wikis in group projects is predicted to encourage equal participation from team members since an electronic record is kept of every contribution to every wiki page (Elgort, Smith, & Toland, 2008). The functionality of wikis make them an excellent tool for collaboration in an online environment (Augar, Waitman, & Zhou, 2004). Wikis are ideal for knowledge creation and management (Bruns & Humphrey, 2007).

There are Inherent Risks With easy access to the World Wide Web, there is an overwhelming amount of inappropriate content. The Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) imposes certain requirements on schools or libraries that receive discounts through the E-rate program. Filter content Monitor online activities of minors Prevent unauthorized access (hacking)

Keeping Students Safe Schools can take 2 approaches: Block more content (including appropriate sites). OR Educate students and teach them the skills they need to access and use the Internet in an appropriate manner. Best Practices (Kentucky DOE) Netiquette (YouTube video) Internet Safety (Massachusetts DOE)

Keeping Students Safe Discussion: What is your school’s policy? The privacy of students must be protected when publishing information to the web. We must balance the safety of the child with the benefits that come with students taking ownership of the work. School policies Discuss with colleagues Have parents sign permission slip for your class FERPA and Social Media Discussion: What is your school’s policy?

The Pedagogy of Wikis Constructivist activity (project based learning) Flatten walls of the classroom Archive learning that teachers and students do (e-portfolios) Tool that supports different learning styles Improve writing skills (extended response in Ga Milestones) Blended learning Students reach Bloom’s higher order skills. Access and editing can be controlled by the teacher making a wiki public or private (Vanderbilt University)

How to Get Started with Wikis Once you have chosen a wiki tool to use, you will also want to: Make instructions explicit Provide clear expectations Build in time for practice (student orientation) Publish due dates for multi-phase projects Start with a simple assignment before attempting a collaborative project. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching

Lets Take a Look Divide into groups of 3 – 4 and spend 5 minutes investigating this wiki. Middle School Wiki Discussion: What do you think about using wikis in the classroom? Synthesize your thoughts on an index card.

References Augar, N., Raitman, R., & Zhou, W. (2004). Teaching and learning online with wikis. Deakin University School of Information Technology. Retrieved December 12, 2014 from http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/perth04/procs/pdf/augar.pdf Bruns, A., & Humphreys, S. (2007). Building collaborative capacities in learners: The m/cyclopedia project, revisited. Retrieved November 19, 2014 from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/10518/1/wiki16f-bruns.pdf. Elgort, I., Smith, A., & Toland, J. (2008). Is Wiki an Effective Platform for Group Course Work? Australian Journal of Educational Technology. 24(2), 195-210. LeFever, L. (2007, May 29). Wiki in plain English [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY. Parker, K., & Chao, J. (2007). Wiki as a teaching tool. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects. Vol. 3, pp 60-72. Retrieved March 12, 2015 from http://chep2012.wmwikis.net/file/view/Parker+%26+Chao+2007+- +Wiki+as+a+Teaching+Tool.pdf