Wikis and blogs...banned from schools?

Achterman, D. (2006). Making connections with blogs and wikis.
       CSLA Journal, 30(1), 29-31. Retrieved September 18,2009, from
       Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.

Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts and
       wikis in the classroom. Eugene, OR: ISTE.

When I first began my courses in library science, I participated in an introductory course in technology. At that time, I was exposed to many forms of technology, including wikis and blogs, and I was inspired by the lists of ways I could use these in my own classroom. I remember excitedly running into our enrichment teacher’s classroom to share a wonderful blog project I wanted to start. I couldn’t believe it when she looked at me and said “it’s a wonderful idea, but there’s no way on earth the technology department would allow the use of wikis or blogs in our schools”. I remember staring at her, dumbfounded, and she sympathetically tried to explain that she had been fighting for these technologies for the past few years; however, with child safety laws and potential viruses her proposals were rejected time and again. Now, participating in another technology course, I still can’t understand why our school system would completely rule out both blogs and wikis, refusing to even look into secure sites or special programs. Especially when there are so many wonderful ways that both wikis and blogs can be used in classrooms.

Blogs and wikis are excellent ways for students to communicate. Students could use blogs to share opinions on a book for reading class, or make recommendations for other possible reads (Achterman, 2006). Blogs can also be used to provide teacher feedback and interaction with students, as well as encourage students to reflect on their own reading. Many students are already familiar with the concept of blogging, and can therefore make a real-world connection by using this form of communication (Achterman, 2006). Wikis are also useful tools in schools. They can allow students to work together on a project, and can provide students with a place to store their notes, graphic organizers, and bibliographies (Achterman, 2006). Wikis can also be used to help students organize their thoughts and materials (Achterman, 2006). They allow students to access documents on a common server and therefore exchange ideas (Hendron, 2008). By editing the sidebars students can create their own links and have separate pages for different pieces of information. Wikis allow easy access for editing and revising purposes as well. While blogs promote personal opinions and reflection, wikis allow students to collaborate to complete a final product, and both would be a way to motivate students and encourage technology usage.

As a teacher, I understand the many concerns related to the Internet, and I can imagine the horrors that our technology office fears in relation to blogs and wikis. I know that it is possible that students would post inappropriate material or that someone could accidentally access a virus that would spread through the school. I understand that many students do not know how to be discreet on the Internet, and therefore could give away too much personal information that could endanger them. However, in my opinion, the role of the teacher is to monitor student learning, and while these things could happen, most sights have checks in place to prevent these types of things from occurring. For example, most Wiki sites requre a password to access information, so that not just anyone can utilize the site (Hendron, 2008). Some sites allow teachers to edit comments and/or delete posts that are deemed “not school appropriate”, while others only allow certain people to access the information posted. To me, it seems irresponsible to discard potential wonderful technologies simply because some things may go wrong, without seriously considering the forms and looking for ways to make them work. Both blogs and wikis have been shown to benefit students, and they should be considered a valid form of technology integration in schools.