Wikis

The following is a list of wikis I have had a hand in building, either on my own or with students, while teaching English at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, NJ.  For the last few years, I have been a strong proponent of using wikis in education for a number of reasons.  I believe that well-constructed assignments that incorporate wikis can provide many benefits, including:

  • providing a global audience for student projects
  • lending authenticity to assignments and assessments
  • facilitating student collaboration

I invite you to visit these wikis, look them over, and take whatever ideas you can from them.  I have run workshops on incorporating wikis into education at both local and state levels, and am available to conduct workshops in the NJ/PA area.  If you would like more information on running a workshop at your school, please contact me.

304Sophs
—
This wiki was the “backbone” of my Fall 2007 English II (sophomore) class. It is a digital bulletin board for showcasing student research, discussion, literary analysis, and creative responses to the literature. Our four core texts for the course are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Crucible, Macbeth, and The Catcher in the Rye.

BritishRomanticism
—
A humanities-based overview of the British Romantic period, researched and created by the Spring 2007 Honors Major British Writers class.

MrBHomework
—
A website for my students. Contains weekly homework assignments & due dates, links to handouts and related content, etc.

ETTC Wikis
—
Companion wiki for my professional development course on effectively infusing wikis into teaching.

Exploring Online Personal Learning Networks
—
Companion wiki for my professional development course on using the Internet to establish a Personal Learning Network (PLN).

HCSS-Wiki.org
—
A project for my grad school internship, this is a repository of information for special education teachers at Hunterdon Central Regional High School.

HonorsBrit
—
Similar in purpose to the 304Sophs wiki, except for my Spring 2008 Honors Major British Writers class. Core texts here are The Canterbury Tales, Hamlet, Frankenstein, An Ideal Husband, A Woman of No Importance, and The Importance of Being Earnest.

NJASCD-Wikis
—
I created this wiki to supplement my part of a presentation entitled Infusing Technology into the Curriculum, given at the New Jersey Association for Supervisors and Curriculum Development, Monroe Twp., NJ, on 12 February 2008.

Preparing for Podcasting
—
Companion wiki to a professional development session I co-developed and co-facilitated in March 2009.

Realistic Visions
—
A collection of research conducted by my Multicultural Studies class, Spring 2008. This wiki examines contemporary Native Americans in roles that defy traditional stereotyped portrayals.

Twelfth Night Abridged
—
Students in my Spring 2008 Shakespeare’s Comedy class were required to analyze and edit selected scenes from Twelfth Night. They also portrayed scenes from the play in photographs and video clips.

Webfolio
—
An early (read: outdated) version of this professional portfolio. Provides a domain-based approach to my competencies as a psychologist, as well as resume, references, and contact information.

With a few exceptions, all the above wikis are hosted at Wikispaces.  Wikispaces is dedicated to bringing wikis into the classroom, and K-12 teachers can get an ad-free wiki ($50/year value) for educational use free by signing up here.

I am not a Wikispaces employee or shareholder, merely a very satisfied user!