Wikis

As a future elementary school teacher, wikis can be a resourceful tool in regards to my future classroom. Creating a wiki for my class can provide a fun way for a community of learners to communicate easily back and forth to each other. Students can post projects for their classmates to see. One project can concern geography and the students can post a picture of the region they did with the report. Therefore, every classmate as well as the teacher can read about that area and see a visual picture of it. Another way students can use wikis are by posting "fun facts" throughout the school year regarding information they learned. For example if they are learning about the ocean in science a student can post a fun fact they learned about the ocean or aquatic life. If students are learning about multiplication a student can post a fun song or visual that helped them so it can possibly help other students.

A wiki would also be helpful for me as a teacher in regards to communicating to parents. I can send out schedules,helpful information, and important announcements. I can also post websites and resources that would be beneficial to both parents and students. Also wikis would provide me the opportunity to link up with teachers around the nation and world. This would be a great way to share ideas and lesson plans. I could also try to find some classrooms in different countries to try to connect my classroom to. The students could communicate and work with other students around the world by accessing wiki.

Rachel Kitts

My name is Rachel Kitts. I am a senior with a major in History and a minor in Elementary Education. I graduate this May and will continue on to my internship and graduate school with UT. I have always had a passion for teaching, especially teaching younger children. Teachers have such an incredible oppertunity to really impact someone's life. I cannot wait until I can get into the classroom and implement all I have learned. My desire for this class is to be efficient in all the programs we will learn during the duration of the course. I want to use the technology and the resources from this class to apply to my own classroom one day. I know that creating wikis, websites, and google documents will be helpful resources for my parents, students, and myself. Knowing how to properly and sufficiently use technology will help me better utilize my time and provide a more adequate learning environment for my future students.