Teaching Innovations on Wikis: Practices and Perspectives of Elementary School Teachers

1. Teaching Innovations on Wikis: Practices and Perspectives of Elementary School Teachers Chun-Yi Lin Indiana University. cl17@indiana.edu Lena Lee Miami University, Oxford, OH. LEEL@muohio.edu Curt Bonk Indiana University. cjbonk@indiana.edu Ed-Media 2009, Honolulu, HI

2. The Age of the Wiki • Everyone has been to Wikipedia and millions use it. • Wiki use exploding in educational, business, and informal learning settings. • Minimal research; especially in K-12 education.

3. Pre-Kindergarten Wikis in Ohio

4. Kindergarten class wiki (view homework, calendars, student work, videos, plan parties, ask q’s); http://mrstaylorkinder.pbworks.com/

5. 2nd Grade Wikis for Monster Writing (student collaboration)

6. Webster: 2nd & 3rd grade class wiki (global sharing); http://mswebster.wikispaces.com/

7. Littlewood 5th grade wiki: Pictures taken of plants in environmental center; http://littlewoodnatureguide.wetpaint.com/

8. Wikis for Teachers to Share

9. Wikis for Children Writing and Reading Continuous Stories

10. Research Questions Goal: to investigate how wikis are integrated in k-6 classrooms 1. What are the teachers’ motivations to create class wikis? What are their teaching goals by integrating wikis in teaching? What are their personal beliefs behind their teaching innovation? 2. In the class wikis, how do teachers, students, and parents contribute to wikis?

11. Study Participants Recruiting participants: (1) identified class wiki owners 115 existing wikis from Wikispaces, Pbwiki, and Wetpaint. (Criteria: created by or for k-6th classes) (2) Requested well known K-12 educators to invite more potential participants 108 total survey responses (response rate undeterminable)

12. Participants What’s your title/ occupation? librarians teachers administrator Others Technology facilitator, Instructional technologist, Technology teacher, Technology staff development facilitator Technology coordinators

13. Participants What grade level do you teach or work with? 3rd grade 2nd grade 4th grade 1st grade kindergarten 5th grade preschool Others: multiage k-5, k-8, preschool-5 6th grade

14. Participants How long have you been using wikis for educational purposes? 4-6 M 6M-1Y 1-3 M Less than 1M More than 2Y 1-2 Y

15. Methodology • Survey • Multiple choice items • Open ended items

16. Goals and Motivations • Target audience • Instructional goals • learning areas and approaches promoted • Motivations

17. Target audience Who is the target audience (or major participants) of the wiki? Primary audience Parents Colleagues & teacher communities Secondary audience Students Others Colleagues & teacher communities General Public Administrators Parents Others Students

18. Instructional goals What are your primary instructional goals when using wikis in the classroom? Check all that apply. children’s (Next slide)

19. Instructional goals (continued.) Others: • Integration of 21st century skills and learning; To teach students to be effective producers of media; lifelong learners (10 responses) • To give parents insights into our daily learning ; to promote home-school links (9 responses) • To collaborate and discuss(4 responses) • Reading/ writing; classroom news(2 responses) What are your primary instructional goals when using wikis in the classroom?

20. Learning areas promoted Which of the following learning areas do wiki promote? Collaboration Critical thinking Critical thinking Collaboration Technology Technology creativity Problem solving Problem solving Technology Critical thinking Literacy creativity Collaboration Problem solving Science/ Math Science/ Math Social skills Literacy Creativity Social studies Social skills Literacy Science/ Math Social skills art Best promote 2nd best promote 3rd best promote

21. Learning approaches promoted Which of the following learning approaches do wiki support? Best promote 2nd best promote 3rd best promote Authentic/ situated Exploratory/ Inquiry Teacher-centered Cooperative Authentic/ situated Authentic/ situated Student-centered Paticipatory None Exploratory/ Inquiry Exploratory/ Inquiry Teacher-centered Cooperative Cooperative Student-centered Student-centered Paticipatory Paticipatory

22. Motivations What were your initial goals or motivations for creating or participating in the class wiki? Check all apply.

23. Motivations • I am motivates by having an easy way for students to collaborate and create works in an online fashion. I am able to easily monitor what they are doing and others are able to view and leave feedback. • The parents find the wiki very helpful for knowing what is going on in the classroom. We use it on a daily basis • Wikis have been successful with kids. Wikis are easy to use for kids, simple interfaces. What motivates you now to continue the efforts?

24. Motivations • The wikis help students stay organized in research and feel as if there is a wider audience for their thinking and their work.. • I enjoy using the Wiki, because it is an easy way to have a classroom website, web-based projects and eprofolios. The students enjoy seeing their work online. What motivates you now to continue the efforts?

25. Motivations (cont.) • The interactive nature of the wiki and blogs are conducive to constructivist learning and uses technology in a way that is multi-purpose. • The students have responded very well and I want to keep them interested. With a constantly changing world via Web 2.0, it's important they know and understand the basics of all technology so they are not left behind. What motivates you now to continue the efforts?

26. Contributions of Teachers, Students, and Parents • Participants’ roles • Students’ contribution (when, how, and what) • Parents’ contributions

27. Major Role in the Wiki What is your major role in the wiki? Other Host Content provider One of the learners Guide or facilitator Editor or manager

28. Students’ contribution Do your students contribute to the class wiki? yes yes no If your students contribute to class wikis, when do they usually contribute? Mostly during class During class and other time at school Other Mostly after class Students do not contribute Both at school & at home

29. Students’ contribution continued… If your students participate in the class wiki, how do they contribute? Read Comment Add content on wiki pages Edit content (add and delete) Create new pages Organize docs/ folders Do not participate Other

30. Parents’ contribution How do parents participate in the class wiki? Please check all that apply? Read Comment or post feedback Add content Edit (add and delete) Organize docs/ folders Do not participate Other

31. Findings Challenges Perceived benefits Beliefs

32. Challenges Encountered What difficulties have you encountered in using wikis? Check all that apply. Inappropriate to children’s developmental level Insufficient computing facilities Lack of administrative support Lack of student familiarity with wikis Lack of teacher learning Lack of time to maintain Most of the generated content is not useful Not sustainable use of wikis (e.g., lasting only one year, existing for only one project or/and event, etc.) Parental complaints Technology itself is frustrating and difficult Other Others: no problems( n=5); laws about posting student work without permission; embedded tools are blocked at school; students don’t have access at home; only one person can edit a page at a time; lack of computer time From open-ended questions: * No or not much computer access at home and school * Age 13 to be member in the wiki while a teacher teaches 10-11 year olds * No personnel to monitor posts which may have inappropriate contents

33. Supports Received How do you overcome the challenges? Check all that apply. Ask a principal for help Buy books/ go to conferences Communicate with parents Give more instruction to students Receive training Search solution online Talk to colleagues Write to wiki company Give up Other *“Other” includes: Figure it out myself (n=5); write grants (n=3); talk to tech services (n=2); ask Students to help solve inquires; Twitter, Skype, blog with colleagues worldwide; beg other teachers for their computer time

34. Benefits to Children What are the benefits of using wikis with young children? Check all that apply. Encourage them to be familiar with technology Fosters collaboration and sharing Help them become producers of content (ownership and leadership of their learning) Provide more learning motivation and fun to children Show their personal growth over time Their parents learn more about what happens in school Other From open-ended questions: * Children are very proud of their work in the wikis! * They work almost SILENTLY! * The wiki helps them develop a new kind of literacy.

35. Benefits to Teaching What are the benefits of wikis for your teaching? Check all that apply Encourage students to be familiar with tech Encourage students to interact with the other schools’ students Encourage students to share their learning Personal action research so that I can improve my teaching or share the results with others Provide more learning motivation and fun to children Share ideas with other teachers Share knowledge that I find with my students Other From open-ended questions: * It revolutionalizes the way of teaching: "I will never go back!"

36. More Teacher Beliefs Teachers can offer global educational opportunities with wikis that were not previously possible. Yes 100 95.24% No 5 4.76% Yes 101 96.19% No 4 3.81% Yes 102 97.14% No 3 2.86% Teachers can offer cooperative learning activities with wikis that were not previously possible. I feel that my use of wikis has contributed to my professional growth as a teacher. From open-ended questions: * It revolutionalizes the way of teaching: "I will never go back!"

37. Still More Beliefs Yes 26 25.00% No 78 75.00% Yes 83 78.30% No 23 21.70% Yes 93 88.57% No 12 11.43% Wikis offer just more of the same old boring, drill and practice type of curriculum. Do Wikis represent a learning revolution in the education of young children? If you want to improve school retention and motivation, are wikis part of the solution?

38. Still To Do… • Respondent interviews. • Survey data analysis comparing k-3 and 4-6th graders. • General data analysis. • Other…

39. Questions • Note: We have posted many wiki papers to the Wiki-RIKI site: • http://wiki-riki.wikispaces.com/