Week 3 Reflections

I would use a wiki in my teaching as a MTH 099E site.  I started one on PBworks.  The first thing I would do is structure the folder into a few pages: links, general questions/comments, daily log, and help!  I went ahead and made a links Wiki here, so check it out!  The general questions/comments forum would be a great form of communication between the teacher and students, as well as among students!  Like our similar discussion, students could post questions and the teacher or other students could post replies.

For example:

Student 1: Do we have to do our homework on lined paper?

Student 2: Yes, notebook.

Teacher: Please use perforated paper and the front side only...thank you!

As for the daily log, the teacher could post the content of the day’s class, i.e. textbook pages, concepts, in-class activities, and homework.  The teacher could also post lecture notes for students to review or a question for students to answer by commenting on the Wiki before the next day’s class.  I, personally, wouldn’t post notes because I teach at the college level and hold my students accountable to find out what they missed if they must miss class. 

For example:
Teacher: Today we covered 4.1 - Introduction to Adding and Subtracting Variables.  A few vocabulary terms to become familiar with are “like terms”, “variable”, “exponent”, and “base”.  For tomorrow, please simplify the following expression:  5y + 6xy - 3x + 2xy - 4y  All answers must be put in the “IN” folder by 10:00AM.

The help! section would be where students could post questions, to which other students would reply.  Ideally, students would ask questions like “why do we simplify six twelfths” not “why is the answer one half and not sixth twelfths”? This area would be monitored so that answers were not being shared.

For example:

Student 1: Why don’t 5x and 4y become 9xy?

Student 2: They’re not like terms. Variable parts have to be the same.  Look at pg. 103.

Student 1: Thank you.

There’s many other ways Wikis could be used, but these are the ones most beneficial to me in MTH 099E!  I don't know if I'd ever actually implement the use of a Wiki in my class, but the possibility is there and now I'm more familiar with Wikis, too!  :)