Wiki Wiki Wiki

Remember when you were younger and you or someone would imitate the sound of a turn table and that sound was similar to "wiki wiki?"  Well, that has nothing to do with this post; I just happened to think of that when I created the title.

Most of us know about Wikipedia and Wikispaces, but there are tons of other Wiki's out there that could be utilized in the classroom when utilized correctly. 

Wikiquote is a wiki dedicated to providing quotations from famous people and from throughout history.  Looking for a quote for students to interpret or share each day?  This might be a good starting point.  I like most Wiki sites, it is available in multiple languages

Wiktionary is dedicated to providing dictionary definitions.  Although there are tons of sources to use for definitions, there is a wiki as well.  On the main page you will find a "Word of the Day" and each entry provides lots of facts and information about each word.

Wikispecies is for you science teachers out there.  A valuable resource that provides lots of information about the species of our planet.  On the main page you will find a "Species of the Week and a Distinguished Author."

Wikiversity is a wiki dedicated to providing an open learning community.  On the main page you will find a "Featured Product of the Day" and a "Picture of the Day."  This source is dedicated to all levels of education and research related to education.

WikiBooks is a wiki dedicated to open content textbooks.  Each book has a various range in ages and subject matter.  On the main page you will find a Featured Book and a Featured Children's Book. 

Wikinews is a wiki dedicated to sharing the news that allows visitors to right.  Needless to say, you can expect opinionated and one-sided news stories, but a good way for students to see differing opinions on issues.  However, this is a good way to get news that is not part of a "corporation" news story. 

Now you just might be all "wikied" out, but remember to remind students that all information and resources found on a wiki should be double checked from a reliable source.

Superflashcard

Superflashcard is another option in a long list of websites that allow you to create your own flashcards online for the purpose of studying.  It has a lot of the same features as some other sites, and although its main focus is generating income, they do allow their educators access to a paid account with more features for free. 

The one main difference I have seen so far is the users ability to auto-schedule reviews to optimize and enhance memorization.  There is also a feature to allow users to import/export your flashcards with comma delimited text file.  There are also games and multiple study modes for users as well.  And because it is like other flashcard sites, Superflashcard allows networking and you can search the public database for flashcards that users have already created.