| Home | Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3 | Culminating Activity | Teaching Guide |
| Introduction | Subject-Matter |
| Aim | Learning Objectives |
| Rationale | Instructional Plan |
| General Goals | Materials |
| Learner Description | Plan for Assessment and Evaluation |
| Prerequisites | Resources |
| Introduction
Welcome
to the place where the 21st century and best teaching practices meld.
You may already use literature circles as an exciting reading
program that gives students control over their own learning.
This teaching guide will help you understand how
incorporating the use of wikis into your current literature
circle program can only serve to enhance an already effective learning
strategy. The activities in this
curriculum web will help teachers implement the use of wikis in the classroom during a literature circle unit. As teachers in the 21st century, we have seen and will continue to see a paradigm shift in instructional methods. These methods must reflect the challenges of teachers and students in today's society. Simple educational strategies are no longer enough to help students be competitieve in a global market. Instructors must supplement and/or replace methods of instruction traditionally used in the classroom with innovative educational opportunities. Strategies often implemented include cooperative, inquiry and discovery learning activities, but to make these strategies even more pertinent to the needs of the 21st century learner, schools and teachers must introduce technology into the learning environment. Young people today, more than ever, are immersed in and enthralled with technology. Technology is an integral part of the lives of students and people in general in the 21st century.As stated on the International Society for Technology in Education web site, "ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) have served as a roadmap for improved teaching and learning by educators throughout the United States. The standards, used in every U.S. state and many countries, are credited with significantly influencing expectations for students and creating a target of excellence relating to technology." These standards address the following areas:
The
activities in this curriculum web were created for teachers who
teach primarily English, but some of these strategies can be used in
other curricular areas where group discussion and collaboration will
occur. The students in the teacher's classroom must be comfortable
typing and using the computer to navigate and record information,
therefore; teachers whose clientele is students in the middle or high
school grades would benefit most from the activities. Users
of this curriculum web should already be comfortable using the computer
to create documents, link sites to web pages and be interested in
integrating technology into classroom activities.
Users of this curriculum web should have general knowlege of the teaching strategy of using literature circles. Users should also have general computer knowlege and be able to create links within a web-based program. Finally, teachers embarking upon this activity need to be aware of security and safety issues while using an Internet-based instructional tool with students. Incorporating use of a wiki during literature circles involves a number of components and procedures, including: Concepts & Skills
After completing the curriculum web, users will be able to:
The curriculum web is broken down into three activities and a culminating activity. Activities should be completed in sequential order. Your experiences during the completion of the curriculum web are consistent with Adult Learning Theory, including real-world application, self-directed learning, direct experiences, peer support, and opportunities to share and reflect. If you are using this curriculum web to instruct others, please follow the steps in the same manner you would if you were completing this individually. Activity 1- You will be drawing upon your prior knowledge of literature circle use while also using the Internet to define terminology, create jobs for students and define wikis. If using this curriculum web as a professional development activity, you would be able to have your "pupils" discuss their prior knowledge about literature circles and wikis, investigate using the sources provided, and answer questions using the journal page. Activity 2- In this activity you will become familiar with wikispaces.com and create a free teacher wiki space that allows for collaboration without advertisements from third-party sources. It will also guide you through the process of adding student users and linking documents to the site. If you are using this site to instruct individuals on how to create a wikispace, please make sure you have completed the activity yourself first. Then lead "pupils" through the steps in order. Activity 3- In this activity, you will create a one assignment lesson plan for a group in which students will be given responsibilities for contributing to the group's wiki. For professional development, "pupils" could work through this activity in cooperative groups or as individuals. Culminating Activity-Here, you will reflect upon your progress thus far by thinking about the pros and cons of your wiki and making suggestions to improve the space to make it most user-friendly for students. For professional development, "pupils" should collaborate with other members of the "class" to complete the activity, and then use the feedback they receive to improve their own literature circle wiki. The materials necessary for completing this curriculum web include:
Plan for Assessment and Evaluation During completion of the culminating activity, you wil reflect upon your progress, your wikispace and your lesson plan. Using the rubric provided and your own instincts, you should be able to make necessary changes to enhance your use of wikis in classroom literature circles.
wikispaces.com - Site for creation of educational and personal wikis Adult Learning Theory - Important points of Adult Learning Theory Literature Circle Lesson Plan - Link to 4th grade literature circle lesson plan. Commoncraft Wiki Video - A short, fun video explanation of a wiki. Wiki Pedagogy - This article endeavors to denote and promote pedagogical experimentations concerning a Free/Open technology called a 'Wiki'." Educational Uses of Wikis- A list of ways teachers could use wikis in the classroom Literature Circle Definition - A working definition of literature circles. Benefits of Literature Circles on Student's Learning - ERIC digest article including the "Benefits of Literature Circles on Student's Learning"Creating a wikispace for teachers - A video explanation of how to create an educational wiki at wikispaces.com. Navigation in Wikispaces - A video that explains how to create pages for navigation within your wiki. Organizing Pages in Wikispaces - A video that contains information about organizing pages within your wiki Educational Wikis- A link to a list of other educational wikis Wikispaces Help Menu - A link to Wikispaces help menu. Web Monkey - A color code reference for changing background color on your wiki page ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards - A link to ISTE's technology learning standards. Wiki Rubric - A rubric from Read-Write-Think for wiki evaluation. |