Evaluation+of+an+Educational+Wiki

Title: Evaluation of An Educational Wiki World of Warcraft in Schools []

Lucas Gillispie is the project founder of World of Warcraft in School.
 * Who designed the wiki? **

The wiki is used to collect the different uses of WoW in the educational setting. There are lessons and ideas that are shared by educators showing the value of WoW in education.
 * Who is the wiki for? **

According to the wiki founder, “The original focus of this project was to develop a curriculum for an after school program or "club" for at-risk students at the middle and/or high school level. This program would use the game, World of Warcraft, as a focal point for exploring Writing/Literacy, Mathematics, Digital Citizenship, Online Safety, and would have numerous projects/lessons intended to develop 21st-Century skills. Because of the success of the first year's implementation as an after school program, the program is now being implemented as a language arts elective for middle schoolers designed to provide enrichment for students at all levels.”
 * What is the purpose of the wiki? **

“Writing/Literacy, Mathematics, Digital Citizenship, Online Safety, and would have numerous projects/lessons intended to develop 21st-Century skills.”
 * What subject(s) is the wiki for? **

The wiki is broken into 6 different parts. 1. Overview: This part of the wiki briefly touches on what WoW is and how it can be used in the school setting. 2. Implementation: This part of the wiki walks a reader through the process of setting up WoW in their school. 3. Lesson Ideas: This part of the wiki is great! It provides various lesson ideas for different content areas. This is very helpful for those just starting out. 4. Student Work Samples: This contains many different examples of student work using WoW in school. This is great if a teacher needs to convince their building administrator to let them use WoW. 5. Assessment and Evaluation: Assessing students using WoW would be very difficult to do without any guidance. This part of the wiki provides help in this important area. 6. Work in Progess: This part of the wiki lists the different parts of the wiki that users are still working on. It is good to know what is going to be added next.
 * What are the main contents included? **

All users can view all of the material on the wiki, but if someone wants to become a contributor, they must email Lucan Gillispie, the wiki creator.
 * How do the participants contribute to the wiki? **

I love this wiki! This has everything people would need to start using WoW in their own school. Not only does it provide an overview of the project, it also provides specific content area lesson plans for the teachers. It has done a wonderful job collecting and sharing information from various users. This is a wonderful idea to share a very different concept with teachers around the world. I think it is important that this wiki is around because it helps a very specific group of teachers and students. It is one of a kind.
 * Do you think the wiki serves its purpose well or not? Explain. **

I love the student examples. As a teacher, I want to know how students did when considering a new lesson or project. The examples are great to get an idea of what students are going to walk away having accomplished. I also like the lesson plans. I might not use them as presented, but they are great jumping off points for creating my own lessons. I wish it could be edited on the spot, but I understand the need to lock it down to prevent spammers and hackers from messing with a very good wiki.
 * Report a thing or two you like and dislike about the wiki. **