Wikis+-+Brainstorm+Wiki+Ideas

Assignment #4
Brainstorm Wiki Ideas Expected time to complete: 15 - 30 minutes

Now that you have browsed through examples of wikis in educational settings, we want you to start thinking about how wikis could be used in faith formation settings. It might be helpful if you think of some of the typical topics covered in faith formation classes, grouped roughly by age category. Perhaps the following topics will stimulate some ideas for wikis. Remember that wikis are used for __interacting and collaborating__ more than presenting facts, doctrines, etc. Choose an age category below. Under the topics listed, post some creative ideas for using wikis with that age group. Your ideas do not have to be related to the topics, just to the age group.

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__Younger Elementary Ages__ How Do I Show Love for Others? How Can I be an Instrument of Peace? The Holy Spirit is My Friend The Church is God's Family

POST IDEAS FOR A WIKI HERE: In First Grade, my classmates and I used to move over sometimes on our seats to leave room for our guardian ange!This might not have been theologically accurate, but it was our down-to-earth, literatl interpretation of the teacher's explanation that our angel was always with us.

I think children can also come to image the Holy Spirit as their personal Friend if they are invited to think of Him/Her within their heart, a source of warmth and love and a very close friend.

OK, I see two interesting ideas above, but I don't see how they are related to wikis. Any ideas, folks? - Claudia

Perhaps you could wikify these ideas by having the young students simply share their own experience and imagination regarding how they see both angels & the Holy Spirit interacting with them. At this stage of faith, I think there could be some very innocent and colorful examples posted regarding dialogue they share with these. They could also be asked to respond to the posting of others and say what they find similar and different between their collective experiences. __Paul__

===What a great way for those just learning to read and write to share their ideas and reinforce/encourage their new skills! I could see a wiki created for responses to each question. The children could write a response and add (or create?) a graphic that illustrates it. Maybe their parents could help them find and link to a Scriptural passage that gives an answer in another way.===

Joanna
__ Older Elementary Ages __ Why Do We Go To Mass? How Can We Help the Poor? I am Created in God's Image Everyone in the Church Shares in Christ's Role as Priest, Prophet and King

POST IDEAS FOR A WIKI HERE:

I see the potential here to combine the the question regarding the image of God and helping the poor. First, have the students begin to post their idea of God in terms of attributes (God is merciful, compassionate, etc.). Then have them brainstorm ideas how they could put those attributes into action and have them develop a simple action plan to apply them to the poor. At this stage it might be very predictable and simple, but I think having them develop it together over wiki would be a fun way to help them to process and take more ownership of their decision. __Paul__

Absolutely! Taking ownership and child-directed emergent curriculum fits right into the strength of wikis as collaborative tools. I can imagine the students getting excited as their plan develops to put faith into action! - Claudia

Joanna
__ Junior High __ Right to Life of the Unborn Vocations Caring for Creation What Makes a Good Examination of Conscience?

POST IDEAS FOR A WIKI HERE:

Here I would suggest a combination of examination of conscience as it applies to caring for God's creation. Perhaps they can begin by posting things they are very concerned about in regards to natural resources, pollution, etc. From those postings invite them to an examination of conscience that explores the practices they have in their own lives that may contribute to the very problems they identified. Finally, have them identify and agree on one common practice they all share that they would like to change. They could begin to find and post resource links to share that may illustrate and help them achieve their goal of changing behavior and being more in tune with the idea that our conscience is connected to our ability to care for God's creation. __Paul__

Paul, I am so impressed by the details of your ideas. Thank you for sharing them.
===I'm building on my idea, thinking that now the students can do all of their own work - finding links in Scripture and the Church documents. I would want part of the assignment at this point to include discussing their findings with their parents, and having their parnets share their views. (Could be QUITE interesting for all!)===

Joanna
__ Senior High __ Moral Decision-making We are all part of God's Family Discernment as a Spiritual Practice How Will My Confirmation Gifts Help Me in Adulthood?

POST IDEAS HERE:

For this age group I think it might be productive to have them develop a wiki in which they share links to everyday stories about the human condition. Encourage them to respond to each others posting with what they see as positive and negative. Then challenge them to try and identify the motivation behind the behavior in the stories they post. Expand their contributions to include their thoughts on how a different faith based point of view could have made better or even prevented the negative results. Agree to publish together their own "best practices" that connects the decisions we make and how it affects us all as a family of God. __Paul__

Joanna
__ Adults __ Faith is a Journey How Can I Pass on my Faith to my Children and Grandchildren? Life is Sacred at Every Stage

POST IDEAS HERE: Life is Sacred at Every Stage: As I get older, I am more and more aware of this--seeing my young students and how they are struggling to make life meaningful and full, seeing myself and my Sisters longing for God's fulness of life despite our physical limitations and infirmities. All is Grace. --madeleine The Universe is Sacred. --madeleine What does it mean to encounter God? --madeleine How do we go about living a life of surrender to God's providence? --madeleine How can we live lives of justice? --madeleine How can we live lives of compassion? --madeleine How can we make space for silence in our busy lives? --madeleine Madeleine, these are great open-ended questions that invite collaborative response and would be good discussion points on a wiki. An example of such a wiki would be: "I will create a wiki that will extend the theme of our parish/diocesan/religious order retreat about living out our call to be faithful to the Gospel through all ages and stages of life. My wiki will be organized into pages by topic as listed ablove. I will email an invitation to my students/Sisters/etc. to become a member of this wiki. Next year at our annual retreat, we will revisit some of our collective wisdom by putting discussion points into a PowerPoint prayer service." - Claudia

**Lorraine: Faith is a Journey:** **I can see using a wiki for Breaking Open the Word for people who may not be able to make a particular session, or as a general Scripture Study Sharing o ****n the upcoming Sunday readings. One example would be to list the Readings and then present some background information to situate the scripture within the Gospel writers theology, and and then post questions for all to answer and discuss, and example of questions are: **

**Read the following scripture and post your answers and discuss them with the other participants. **

**Reading: Matthew 5:1-12a (Beatitudes) **

**Questions to ponder and discuss....** **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">1. Which line(s) or phrase(s) strike you as the most important? Why? **

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">2. What kind of risks are there in totally adopting Jesus' values as your rule of life? Give an example from your life where you took a risk to live Jesus' values. What was the outcome? **

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">3. In you life today, which of the Beatitudes do your feel is the most consoling? Which do you feel is the most challenging? **


 * <span style="color: #095858; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">I can see this connecting to the ISTE Standards of creation, communication and collaboration as the group communicates their answers to the questions, and then collaborates in creating ****<span style="color: #095858; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> the meaning by relating the scripture readings to their particular lives. **

Oh, Lorraine, the RICA junkie in me loves your idea of extending the Breaking Open of the Word, and doing it in a way that is supported by the ISTE standards. I'm getting chills! Thank you! - Claudia

=== These are fabulous ideas that also incorporate some of what we know about adult learning! I say "ditto" and want to take time with each of them. Again, thank you for sharing. (My apologies if I got carried away. I see we were supposed to choose one age group. Oops!) ===

===Sheila: Among my college students (English classes), when I use the "Discussion Tool" of their software, which is really like a wiki, there is opportunity to discuss "hot" issues. Usually I use this discussion tool only for completely online courses, but there is potential for evangelization here.=== ===Sometimes students write argumentative essays pro and con on topics such as abortion, gay marriage, care of the environment, etc. So far I have only shared my own reflections with them individually when I correct their essays, but this could be done as an ongoing wiki with an online class also, through what their LMS (Learning Management System) calls the "Discussions" tool.=== ===As of May 21, 2012, the college where I teach is switching over from Blackboard Learning Management System to CANVAS INSTRUCTURE--which seems to have a lot more possibilities for use of wikis. I will study and pray over possibilities for using these tools for evangelization, given the limitations that I teach in a public, not a Catholic, institution.===

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