Week # 8: Creating a Wiki

This wiki idea has come when I most needed it for the Project! 

Last class, last Saturday, we had some work on how to write a Comparison & Contrast essay. At the end of the class, a student came to me saying she needed a model before trying to write her essay. The folder does not have a model essay. So, she asked me to send her models through e-mail. I, then, showed her how to go for models online. Then, I thought maybe I could also send the other students that model. That would be time consuming, though. Another thing was students were saying they were having a hard time managing the blogs and visiting them on a regular basis. I, then, said I would send them all the links.

This week our task has been to create a template for a handout, an exercise or a class site. I opted for the wiki on Google Sites. First, I thought that would be overwhelming for the students. Then, I thought I wouldn’t be able to create one, as I read: “this is the most complicated of the tools”. But then, as I gave it a try, I soon realized that would make my life much easier! It just dawned on me that a wiki would be the solution for the problems I had mentioned before. I would add all the blog links, model essays, docs with transition words and even the interesting videos on the topics discussed! What a discovery!

As I got more interested in the wiki world, I started searching… And I found some cool sites I’d like to share. First, this is a good example of a wiki:  

http://www.whorunsgov.com/contribute

And, to my surprise, there are many wikis around!

At WikiMatrix, we can select the wikis that match our personal needs and compare them.  There is also a forum to talk to other Wiki users, where we can ask questions and discuss everything Wiki.  

So, I decided to create it (https://sites.google.com/site/writing2wiki2011/) and I sent the link to that student who needed the model and had said she had had problems when finding the links for the blogs. She loved the idea! Her comment was: “now, I see the whole picture”.

She has raised another issue, though. Actually, that has been my biggest challenge in the blog project. She mentioned that now my challenge is to have students make comments on their peers’ writings. The thing is, they are not used to giving feedback in writing. Last class, one student commented: “it’s easier when we talk and give feedback in class, but when we know it will be there written on the blog, it’s more serious and we have to think about the words we will choose in order not to offend or cause embarrassment”.

I think I’ll have to deal with cultural issues. I thought technology would be the most challenging thing! My mistake!


Helô