Wikis in the Media Center

 

Wikis are very easy to use and have been around for several years now. Many students are very comfortable with Wikis and find them relatively easy to use. This makes them a great communication medium for use in a media center.

Many teachers use them to post assignments and questions for students to complete and submit through the wiki. One of the math teachers at my school has used a wiki for his math classes with excellent results. They can get onto the wiki at home, school, or wherever they are with a computer and internet access. All of the students knew they were accountable for their wiki assignments each week and took full ownership under this electronic medium.

As for the media center, a wiki could provide a place that has frequent updates on new books, media center procedures, activities to help them understand the Dewey Decimal System, as well as many other items. A wiki would also be a great place for students to help one another with tasks like citing a book or periodical. A wiki allows students the ability to edit the site and gives them a sense of ownership in the media center. The students can work together to collaborate on book activities and reviews of books they have read. This can help promote the media center because students see all of the activities going on there.

The article “A Wiki Gives a Worthy Book New Life,” by Amy Bowllan from The School Library Journal gives an excellent example of how to take a book that a class or group is reading and turn it into a valuable learning experience where the students are all involved.  The students do far more than discuss the book and write a paper. They can experience the book, the places where the story takes place, and even cook something that is a traditional food for one of the characters in the book.

There are so many uses for wikis in an educational environment. Anyone can start out with a simple wiki and continue to add to its content as they get new ideas and want to add existing resources. A wiki can also allow others to help you add meaningful content for all library patrons. With patience and practice, you can have a very useful, lasting resource for your media center that fits everyone’s needs.