Using wikis for course management system

After attending a seminar by Mark Frydenberg from Bentley College on Web 2.0 tools for a computer literacy course at the post-secondary level, I began using a wiki to host my course materials, syllabus, announcements, handouts, etc. Refer the the article from the MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, Vol. 4, No. 2, June 2008, for more information:
http://jolt.merlot.org/vol4no2/frydenberg0608.htm

Tags: cms, wiki

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Permalink Reply by Mel J. Janousek on July 2, 2009 at 9:32am

Thanks for the link to the information on using a wiki. I found the article to have an abundance of information and will be very useful.

Mel J. Janousek

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Permalink Reply by Ira G. Wilson on December 9, 2009 at 8:46am

I wonder though, would this work at the Secondary level, say in a 10th or 11th grade history class? Especially given the lack of enough computers, ancient equipment and a neollithic network? There is also the danger of the District dropping Websense blocking down on it at any time to save bandwidth or server space.

Ira G. Wilson
History Teacher, Tucson High Magnet School

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Permalink Reply by Susan McClements on December 9, 2009 at 8:54am

Yes at the secondary level internet blocking software can be a problem. I have presented workshops to teachers in Indiana on the use of wikis in the classroom. Many of our teachers are using wikis or some other classroom management applications, such as Moodle. Most of the teachers simply explained to their technology direction the purpose of the site and the wiki (such as pbworks.com) was unblocked. In a traditional classroom without computers in the room, the wiki would be used as a site to organize the class materials. Often the teacher station in each classroom is equipped with a projector, computer and internet connection. Therefore the wiki would provide a launching point for lessons and resources. For students and parents, the wiki provides a window into the classroom material and procedures. All the handouts can be accessed from the wiki and if a student is absent, the student can access the wiki to learn what material he/she missed. One of the goals of many schools today is increased communication with parents and having a class website/wiki, the teacher has the ability to increase communication.