Chapter 3: Blogs, Wikis, and Collaborative Word Processors

          Throughout Chapter 3, Hicks describes the importance of introducing wikis and blogs into the classroom.  I also find these to be very useful tools in fueling class discussion, collaboration, and improving the writing process.  Blogs and wikis allow students to compare their writing to other students and bounce ideas off of one another.  One of the benefits that Hicks mentions is the revision process.  With students recording their essays and writing in blogs and wikis, it is easy for the teachers to access these documents and in put comments and corrections.  Teachers can highlight sentences that need improvement and easily make comments on the student's work.  Hicks mentions, "By inserting comments directly into the document you are reading, you offer the writer a chance to go back to those comments over and over again" (38).  Students can constantly reference your suggestions.  I also liked that students work is constantly being archived.  This allows for the students original works to be saved, while they continue to edit and revise them.  Students can always refer back to their originals to see their improvements. 
          Not only are the blogs effective, but they allow for creativity as well.  "Students who blog are able to hyperlink to sources of information and inspiration, embed multimedia...and engage in larger circles about their topic" (41).  Students are not only writing, but they are positng images and videos that relate to their topics, broadening the way that they look at their subjects.  An example was given about a class in Australia who uses a wiki to create stories where the readers can choose different paths for the characters to take.  This is a fun and innovative way for students to get into the writing process.  It forces them to look at different outcomes in their stories, which can inspire a whole new piece of writing.
          One of the downsides mentioned is a misuse of these programs or excuses given by students not to do them, such as forgotten passwords.  Although these are valid issues with these programs I believe that their benefits far outweigh these examples.  The use of technology is always a risk, students can get off task, but they do allow for a wide range of creativity.  I believe that blogs and wikis are a great tool to bring into an English classroom, and I entend to use them in mine.

Megan Nier