Reflection on Oatman's article and wikis - week 6

As I consider week 5 and 6 readings/lessons, I am realizing the potential of wikis as a powerful collaborative tool for both students and staff.

Some postive points that Oatman brings up in his article are:

- using wikis as a way to empower students and learners
- wikis can teach students to be tolerant and accepting of different points of view
- media is controlled by people who have the means to, and wikis give people equal opportunity to contribute.

I like this quote:
"young people develop "writing skills and social skills by learning about group consenus and compromise - all virtues you need to be a reasonable and productive member of society" ( Oatman 2005).

This point stands out for because we have a lot of tech savvy students at our school, but giving them opportunities to develop the social skills needed to apply their technical skills is just as important. They all need to be given the chance to celebrate each other's contributions and develop skills that they will need in the real world.