Since I started teaching online, I have become quasi proficient in blogging, message boarding, tweeting, podcasting, skyping, teleconferencing, glogging, emailing politely, status updating, and now creating avatars of myself singing in Spanish.
What I haven't fully mastered is the Wiki. A Wiki is a really cool concept. A group can work on a document or other social media something together. Let's take my daughter's class for example. If they are planning a play and they have a list of jobs for the mommies: what we need to buy, what time we need to be there, etc, etc... instead of one hundred emails going back and forth over and over again, everyone can edit "the wiki" and the jobs are done and there is no animosity that five moms brought napkins and only one mom had cups.
Here's a cool video on youtube:
You know what words jump out at me as I watch this? Collaborative! Easy to create! Published immediately! Compare versions! This is cutting edge, changing the world, awesome stuff and I'm so thrilled to be learning it.
Now everybody: think about planning the "Family Christmas Event" with it.
(Pause)
I'm calling this family "The Smiths." They are going to be a generic family. They could be any family planning any event anywhere in America. Let's give them a Mama, a Papa, three grown up children (two daughters and a son). :0)
Mama Smith starts the Wiki on the second day of December:
Christmas dinner this year will be at five o'clock sharp. I will make the turkey if each of my girls will provide the side dishes, their brother will bring the beverages. At six thirty we will open presents and go youngest to oldest. I want to watch my grandchildren enjoy their gifts, so please no television. The family service starts at 8:00 we need to be in line by 7:30.
Daughter Smith-Jones "edits" round 1:
Emmaline wakes up from her nap at four and needs about thirty minutes to become pleasant again. After we read two books and do her flashcards she needs a new outfit and then we can drive the thirty minutes to the house I grew up in. So five o'clock isn't going to work. Please remember she is not allowed sugar and we prefer everything to be as fresh as possible. How about six o'clock for dinner, let the children open gifts, then get in line for the service-everyone, don't forget to make sure the iPads are charged so the children will wait quietly in line. I just found a wonderful app that can teach French and Chess strategies at the same time!
Daughter Smith-Black "edits" round 2:
My boys will only eat McDonalds Happy Meals right now and it's Ben 10 week, so I'll pick those up on the way. No one in this house has napped since 2009. Unwrapping gifts will take less than five minutes. Mother, I really wish you would buy a Wii so that we could all hear ourselves think. Check your medicine cabinet for band-aids, Neosporin, and all those other things we need for whenever my twins jump their frail cousin. I swear they didn't rip the head off the multicultural Barbies on purpose last year. Standing in line by 7:30 is possible. I just put Holiday Angry Birds on my phone.
Son Smith (single and childless) edit round 3:
Whatever..I'll be there at five.
Papa Smith can't turn on a laptop......
What awesome creative collaboration! We will re-visit this "Holiday Wiki" throughout the Advent season....don't you want a real one now?
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