Using Wikis in the Classroom

Wikis are websites that allow visitor participation by giving them the opportunity to contribute content, or edit and revise contributions made by other visitors. Wikis are constantly under revision, and the information is always being improved by contributors who have something more to offer. The ultimate purpose of a wiki is the sharing of the creative process and product by many. You may be familiar with wikis through the most popular one, Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia.

The potential for use in the classroom has not fully been utilized by many teachers, but can easily be implemented for a number of constructive purposes. Teachers who participate in professional developments can utilize a wiki in order to collaborate with colleagues on the implementation of acquired knowledge and strategies with those who did not participate. Through a wiki, teachers can work together and develop a consensus of what works for them, as a school or team, and in the process, develop a school culture among professionals.

Another way wikis could be used in the classroom is for collaboration between teachers and parents as a communication tool. Creating and utilizing wikis with parents can contribute to a sense of community among parents, and also give them a sense of belonging in the classroom.

Wikis may also be utilized in the creative process when it comes to students developing classroom projects and presentations. With Google products, like Slides and Docs, sharing and collaborating is facilitated, but a wiki also offers the potential for creative expression. It doesn't have to be simply about working together. A wiki may be used to facilitate in the creation of classroom culture, where everyone has the opportunity to be a contributor in some way.

Overall, I believe there is a lot that wikis offer the classroom most teachers have failed to see. I, for one, was never really aware of the idea of using wikis in the classroom before doing a little research for this blog post. But, that being said, collaborative works in a Google Doc have been one of the ways my colleagues and I would collaborate on making a test, or creating content for a curriculum. 

What is Copyright and Fair Use?

Having been in the field of education for only a few years, I find teachers to be among the most generous, helpful professionals I have worked with. It is our job to help our students succeed, and in attempting to do so, we also want our colleagues to succeed as well. Often times, we share anything and everything we come across that could help our students grasp a concept, or potentially assist another educator, without really giving consideration to the content creator whose works we are "borrowing". That being said, a lot of teachers, myself included, are probably guilty of copyright infringement in some way or another when it comes to our classroom.

What exactly is copyright? Dictionary.com defines it as "the legal right granted to an author, a composer, a playwright, a publisher, or a distributor to exclusive publication, production, sale, or distribution of a literary, musical, dramatic, or artistic work." The goal behind copyright laws are to protect creators ability to make money, with the idea that being fairly compensated for your created material motivates you to create more. The laws are also meant to give the creator more of a say in how their content is used.

When it comes to fair use, it is a doctrine in which copyrighted works may be used under a few specific circumstances which include: for criticism and commentary, parody, news reporting, research and scholarship, and classroom instruction. These are exceptions which allow for use of copyrighted works without the need to ask explicitly for permission, but a good rule of thumb is when in doubt, just ask for permission.

According to educationworld.com There are very specific guidelines when it comes to fair use. Those guidelines allow educators, under most circumstances, to copy

• a single chapter from a book
• an excerpt from a work that combines language and illustrations, such as a children's book, not exceeding two pages or 10 percent of the work, whichever is less
• a poem of 250 words or less or up to 250 words of a longer poem
• an article, short story, or essay of 2,500 words or less, or excerpts of up to 1,000 words or 10 percent of a longer work, whichever is less; or
• a single chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture from a book, periodical, or newspaper.

The guidelines do not allow users to

• make multiple copies of different works as a substitute for the purchase of books or periodicals
• copy the same works for more than one semester, class, or course
• copy the same work more than nine times in a single semester
• use copyrighted work for commercial purposes
• use copyrighted work without attributing the author.

The major consideration to keep in mind when using copyrighted material is whether it could potentially take away earned income from the creator of the work. If so, it's probably copyright infringement.

Introduction to our Technology Course

Welcome to my blog! My name is Shareef Abuhajah, and I am an eighth grade social studies teacher at Westdale Middle School in Baton Rouge. I have been teaching Louisiana History for 2 years now, but I have been a teacher for a total of 6 years. I just became a father, so whenever I am not busy with work or graduate courses, I am helping my wife take care of our son.

I am looking forward to this semester in our class. I hope to get exposure to technology tools that I never really had a reason to use and learn about before taking this course. Actually, I probably had plenty of reasons to use the tools out there, but never really knew about them. So far, this semester has been very interactive, and I already feel like I am learning a lot about what's out there on the internet. For one, I never really considered creating a blog. I did have a Facebook account when I was doing my undergraduate degree, but I deactivated it years ago. This feels very similar to what I would have done on that platform, excepted way more focused.