Thing 21

Wikis are great. I registered on Google Earth and then tried to download Google Earth here at school, but only an administrator can do it. I plan to download it at home later. (I want to zoom in on my house from space!) The educational links on Google Earth seemed outdated. Does this mean that educators are not using it much? It is not the best wiki for my content area anyway.

I did find a useful wiki at "Examples of Educational Wikis" set up by an elementary art teacher. She uses the wiki to inform and plan with the classroom staff and administrators in her building. This is a great idea to collect info on what each classroom is doing in other content areas (curriculum maps) so that art projects could become more relevant to students as well as interdisciplinary. Teachers could add ideas for projects and also pick up ideas from the art room on topics for writing activities in their classrooms. A wiki like this would make my planning of the annual grade one field trip to the Wadsworth Atheneum so much easier--eliminating emails all around with the five, first grade teachers. A wiki like this would take a bit of time to set up, and it will definitely have to get put on the back burner for now--my time from now through May is pretty tight.

My favorite/most fun wiki (and the one I spent the most time exploring,) was wikiHow. I searched all kinds of topics--and thought the "Howcasts" were great. One of the topics that gave me an idea for a fun/personal wiki was "wine"--how to learn to appreciate wine, how to taste wine, how to store wine, how to decant wine, how to remove and use wine bottle labels, how to use wine corks, how to open a wine bottle with no tools, etc., etc. My husband and I are really into wine and belong to several clubs and a tasters' group. (The tasters' group meets infrequently because we all live busy lives.) It would be great to have a wiki where all our friends (and other wine lovers) could list what wines they have tried, where they purchased it, and review it for the whole group. Others who have tried the same wine could add their ratings also. Bargain hunters could share tips. People could trade wines. Members could share thoughts on pairing specific wines with specific foods. Etc., etc. This wiki would be easier to get going and not as formal.

Well, with Thing 21 "under my belt," I am heading home. I hear a Pinot Noir calling my name!