The World of Wikis

Wikipedia can be a great resource when used correctly. Many times I have looked up information on Wikipedia. However, I never added information because I always thought it was a challenging thing to do. Now, after adding information, I realize how easy of a process it is.

For this lab, I added information about the school Attwood Elementary in the Lansing School District. I taught at Attwood and loved being part of the school. I struggled with adding information to the site because I was trying to only add facts, not share my opinion.

Here is a snapshot of the Wikipedia page I edited.

I also created my own wiki. I designed the wiki so I could use it for my current job. I currently supervise a staff of ten and I wanted to have a way we could all collaborate when it comes to programming events for residents. Check it out!

Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning is a tool and resource that all educators should be aware of. The idea behind UDL is that we should find ways to make the curriculum fit our students, not the other way around. By using assistive technologies and creativity, we can modify lessons to meet all of our students needs.

Earlier this month, I created a lesson titled, Menu Math. What I thought was a good lesson, is becoming a great lesson with help of the UDL checklist. The checklist allows you to look critically at your lesson. "The UDL Guidelines are organized according to the three main principles of UDL (representation, action and expression, and engagement)." By responding to all three principals, the lesson becomes student focused.

Take a look at how I used it to identify the needs of my lesson.

Thinkfinity!

MERLOT is a great resource that I am so happy to have finally discovered. Since being introduced, I have spent hours looking for lessons, articles and ideas. One of the great sites I found is called Thinkfinity. I had never heard of this site before, but I am happy I have. By clicking through the site, I found a great lesson idea that I would love to do! The lesson is called,"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Someone a Letter." The lesson focuses on the lost art of letter writing. Most students today do not understand how important letters were to generations before; how private, heartfelt and crucial they were to peoples' lives. Students are able to experience the power of letter writing first hand by reading letters from important people throughout history.

All teachers know the importance of evaluating a site or source before we use it. Using the MERLOT system, I evaluated the site Thinkfinity.

Quality of Content:

1. Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills? Yes! Not only does Thinkfinity have a variety of resources, the site also connects you to other great resources.
2. Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline? Yes! The site is full of educational resources. The tagline for the site is, "Thousands of free lesson plans and educational resources for teachers."

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:

1. What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used? This site is a link to a wide variety of resources. Not only does the site offer a great variety of lesson plans, the site also offers interactive and a standards alignment section. The site can really help you build the best lessons possible, from the ground up. In addition to in classroom teaching, the site also provides teachers with information on professional development. This is a very holistic website as it covers all areas of education.
2. What is(are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials? After using this site, teachers should feel more connected to other resources to help them as an educator. While this is not a site for students, students will certainly benefit from the resources found on this site.
3. What are the characteristics of the target learner(s)? Target learners for this site can be anyone, simply depending on what learners you are working with.
4. Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials? The site is full of lessons, audios, media and interactive that are free for teachers. The lessons also outline how to best use these resources.

Ease of Use:

1. Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct? The layout of the site is very clear and easy to navigate. I was able to figure out what I was doing very quickly. The search bar on the right side of the homepage is very helpful and easy to understand as well.
   
2. Does the user get trapped in the material? It is easy to spend a lot of time looking for information because of how much is available.
   
3. Can the user get lost easily in the material? There is a lot of material, but the site does a nice job of organizing everything. For example, lesson plans are organized by topic and by grade.
   
4. Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses? The site has a "Get Connected" tab which helps keep you in touch with the site creators. There is also a blog that users can follow to get even more out of Thinkfinity.
   
5. Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use? Yes.
   
6. Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software? No, it does not. The lessons and all other resources are very straightforward in implementation.
   
7. Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students? All of the lesson plans I have looked at have been very student friendly. Users can also write reviews for the lesson plans and how they have modified them to fit their students.
   
8. Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students? The site has a section devoted to student interactives. Interactives are a great way to incorporate technology and attract students to different subjects. In addition to interactives, there are media resources available, which are always a great way to grab students attention.

I hope you take advantage of this great resource, Thinkfinity!