Week 5 Wikis/Blogs

I have a secondary school librarian wiki that I started after a library in-service last year. [ http://mrs-mental.wikispaces.com ] I never did much with it once it was set up.

So, I am bringing it back to try to plan for a pet project to be done later this summer. It's an effort to examine what research skills we librarians can vertically integrate from middle school through mid-high school. I was inspired by a TLA session "My Freshmen Are Your Seniors." I like a wiki for this because it's a limited topic and everyone involved should be able to have input. We can all be on the same page in every sense of the word. :)

I also like wikis as a way for students to plan a group project. If the teacher is (as she should be) part of the allowed group, it's a great way to check up on how planning is going, to implement a good technology lesson and to add another skill set to our students.

The biggest problem I have with blogs or wikis is remembering to use them. I like wikis as a workhorse because they are mostly limited to the elements you need to get your task done. Blogs are like a decorator showcase. Same with i-google, fun but takes way too long to load if you put in all the things you like to browse. I love to see other peoples' blogs and creativity. When I have time.
Cheers!