wikis in school libraries

WIKIS IN SCHOOL WIKIS IN SCHOOL LIBRARIESLIBRARIES

Dr. Dana DukicDr. Dana DukicWest Island SchoolWest Island School

Hong KongHong Kong

IASL Annual Conference - Taipei 2007

IASL Annual Conference - Taipei 2007IASL Annual Conference - Taipei 2007 22

A problem with writingA problem with writing

Reading Rockets

In her video interview with Reading Rockets, Jane Yolen, a famous children’s author, said the following about creative writing in school:

I think that there are two problems with the way writing is done in schools. One is the assumption that you can give an assignment, and anyone can then blurt out onto the page enough in a 20-minute period, or a 15-minute period, or half hour – whatever the period us. I can't do that. So, you give kids a topic, and you give them a time. And within that topic and that time, you're saying, ’Do something creative’. For most kids, that's enough to stop them right there.I would rather have kids have journals that they can take home and write on when they feel like it.

But, these days, there is no need for kids to carry around journals.Wiki, a read-write web is the optimal solution to this problem!


What are Wikis and how do they work? What are Wikis and how do they work? Wikis are:

• simple websites that are created and edited by many authors • users can always add new information and edit previous authors’

submissions• allow their users to compare previous versions of its pages and to

track who wrote or edited what and when • browser-based applications, available to end-users any time and

at any location

Wikis mainly offer 3 types of web space:• public space that can be viewed and edited by anyone,• protected space that can be viewed by anyone but can only be

edited by members of the space • private space that can only be viewed or edited by members of

the space.


Wiki toolsWiki tools There are a number of wiki tools available on the Internet, but among the

most popular are:• PB Wiki, • WetPaint • PMWiki • MediaWiki• WikiSpaces• Jot Spot

LibraryZone is built with Wikispaces.

For more information about available wiki software and services look at


WikispacesWikispaces

Wikispaces is very convenient for educational purposes including libraries for many reasons:

• it is easy to use• has an option that only invited members can edit the content, • no-ads version is freely available to educators working in K-12

schools• capability to upload various files (text, pictures, audio, and video) • capability to embed various media (audio, video, multimedia). • contains a visual history page• a searching and tagging function• a discussion forum • usage statistics• page feeds with email notification of changes to any page with

RSS feeds


• established as a supplement to a school library web• created and managed by school librarian• space members are Year 3 students in Library Club• it is a protected space so that everybody can see it but only members

can edit it.

LibraryZone


In LibraryZone students

• learn research skills• write stories • generate information resources• work on collaborative research projects• present their work to wider audience• discuss various issues • communicate with one another and with the librarian

A multipurpose wiki


LibraryZone wiki was initially set up as a research skills tutorial.

It covers main aspects of the research process:• planning the research • choosing resources • searching the internet• website evaluation • taking notes • creating a presentation

Information literacy instruction

Research skills

The tutorial is supported with resources in various formats

interactive an ongoing process


Collaborative creating library resources

In The Weather project students• generated a list of fiction and nonfiction books about weather in the

library collection• evaluated a number of websites about weather

In Lucky Ladybugs project students• generated a list of websites about ladybugs suitable for elementary

school children • used a program named Hot Potatoes to set up a quiz for testing

knowledge about ladybugs

Information resources


Conducting a collaborative project

Students participating in this project

• selected planets to explore• searched appropriate websites located on the Resource page• wrote down their notes on the Note page• looked over each other’s work and added up more information

Example: Taking notes about the solar system

At the end the practice of searching for information about the solar system and taking notes turned into a genuine collaborative activity.

Students’ notes


Story writingStory writing

Wiki as an open software is a perfect story writing tool. Students can access the wiki page and write stories when they feel like writing.

. Students wrote stories connected to different research topics, like thunderstorms, ladybugs and space


Wiki as a presentation toolWiki as a presentation toolWiki is also suitable for some individual projects, when students want to demonstrate their expertise in a particular area of knowledge.

In this case wiki is primarily used as students’ publishing platform, as a tool for sharing their personal interests and knowledge with peers, teachers, family members and wider audience.

Example: Jon’s dinosaurs page


Discussion page in Wikispaces is an open forum for wiki members.

They used discussion pages to:• inform wiki members about their new edits• pass some interesting things they learned recently• comment on the page contents • suggest new contents and pages• asked questions

All about dinosaursNotes about the solar system

Discussion space


Students’ activity in LibraryZoneStudents’ activity in LibraryZone

Number of students' edits in LibraryZone

410 7 11 16

63

208

2

23

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Activity period: January – Jun 2007

Projects: • The weather project• Lucky Ladybugs• Exploring space• All about dinosaurs


LibraryZone is used as a platform for mashing up various Web 2.0 applications and services.

Wikispaces has a built-in ability to import different types of files and to embed various applications in audio, video or multimedia formats.

Web 2.0 applications in LibraryZone

ClickCaster – The Weather project: Thunder CakeTeacherTube – Exploring Space: ResourcesSlide – Exploring Space: ResourcesFurl – Exploring Space: ResourcesSlideShare – Story writingHotPotato – Lucky Ladybugs PhotoStory – Lucky Ladybugs


ConclusionConclusionWeb 2.0 technologies are widely accepted by school librarians.Wiki, the new read-write web tool, is convenient because it is

• interactive • always accessible • easy to use

Wiki operates as a multifunctional learning platform.• collaborative projects • teaching information literacy• creating library resources in collaboration with library users • all kinds of writing activities.

Wiki works well even with young primary school students

• they quickly learn to use it and access it from school or home• they can work collaboratively on various projects• they can use wiki as a communication and publishing tool