Thing 9

My experience

I really enjoyed reading through the list of Poppers suggested by other teachers, and I saw several things that I could use with my adult ESL students.  As I was going through the Poppers wiki, I became more aware of how useful and efficient a wiki can be.  Instead of having to search for and try out all of those online resources myself, I can just browse the list and read about how other teachers used them and what they thought—brilliant!  It was very helpful to hear other people’s perspective on the different tools that are available on the web. 

Using a wiki professionally

At work we already have a share drive where teachers save things they think might be helpful to other teachers.  This is a great resource, especially for new teachers or for when you are assigned a level you’ve never taught before.  However, having a wiki might be a better way of organizing all of the information.  It could also include links to helpful websites for different classes.  It would also be nice to have teachers write about their experiences in the various levels and topics that are taught in a way that can be archived. 

Using a wiki personally

I’m planning a trip to India over the winter break, and I still need to do a lot of research about what I want to do and where I want to stay while I’m there.  What I need is a backpacker’s wiki all about India.  It could have links to different travel websites, hostel websites, and blogs about travelling in India.  Travellers who have already been there could update it with current info about accommodations, restaurants, which beaches are the least crowded during high season, etc.  This might already exist, I just have to find it.