Ways a Wiki can Work in the Working Classroom

Have you had enough "W"s in the title?  I wish there was another word for classroom that started with a W--any suggestions for one in a different language?  I only know the German version--Klassenzimmer--which doesn't really help!

Now, about Wikis...
I'm beginning to see how they can work in a classroom after all.  In directly using it per our example in 486, we can use it for biographies in the classroom to get-to-know each other.  They can understand what I'm all about, and I can understand them.  I have a very humanistic approach to teaching, and this would help me to understand the students as individuals.

Of course, parents can also join and do the same.  That may be a good option to explore to keep the students in-line with what they post.  The parents could have access to make sure that their kids don't write something offensive. This may be most applicable to middle school and high school.  I will be certified K-12--under which it may be best to make sure that parental help with on-line wiki homework will be most important especially for elementary students.  Online instructions would be key for parents to understand how to create wikis, and it would truly help the parent-teacher relationship (as well as parent-parent relationships.)

Other ways of using wikis for the classroom...could include anything connected to links.  With teaching music, students can be guided through links to examples of music being performed, free sheet music, articles and documents pertaining to what has been taught in the classroom, how-to links on music theory, help on sight-singing, and additional help for those who LOVE music and want to know more.  I could even post links to youtube videos viewing the larynx operating as an organ from a camera placed actually inside the body.  (This is the "voice box" on video!  How amazing is that?!)  Honestly, since the internet has endless capabilities, the wiki has endless capabilities, too.

From our assigned reading, especially from the 50 Ways to Use Wikis, I like the idea of a virtual field trip.  Not everyone gets the chance to go to a composer's hometown, especially if that town is actually a small village in Germany's Bavaria.  I also think that track projects and track participation is a wonderful idea.  In group projects, a teacher can truly track the participation of individuals in a group, therein leading a teacher to an appropriate grade.

The biggest function of wiki, however, must be communication as a whole.  All of this--the links, the bios, the projects, etc.--would not be possible without the wiki itself.  Its display and easy-editing capabilities are the bases for easy communication outside the classroom.

If you have any more ideas on how it can be used for music classrooms, do-tell!  I'd love to learn more!