Collaborative Wikis

The video we watched was about Beyond Textbook which is an internet application where you can find share ideas and different ways to teach. It was first created by the Vail school in order to work as collaborative partner across the school district. Teachers overthere started by identifying the objectives and state standard then they established a common plan time. The idea was to digitalized information to be able to share it using Mind Touch. This helps create collaborative wikis that could be used by all teachers of the district and beyond.

For teachers, it is a good place to start their preparation because you can always find great ideas that really interest the kids and that you can always rely on. This type if sharing ideas is beneficial for students because they feel a connection with other students from the district because they know that they are learning the same thing as they are.

I think that this type of collaboration is really fun because sometimes it is hard to find new ideas and having a bank like that is precious. Also, an idea can pop in your mind when you are doing something that someone else has done so you can share as well. This can also mean that you can create projects with other schools because, if you can get in touch with a teacher from another school, you can have your students collaborate with students that they do not know. In an ESL class, this could mean that they can have a authentic learning situation.