Jennifer Sylves

Background

 * English teacher at Trinity High School in Western Pennsyvania
 * Works with Nancy Hoffman, fellow teacher.
 * Presented a workshop to teachers about wikis in the classroom in 2009

Insights

 * Source: http://www.theconsortiumforpubliceducation.org/jtl09wrapup.htm

Wiki workshops offered at Journey to Learn in 2009. Teachers claim wikis are an invaluable teaching tool.
Jennifer Sylves uses Wikis for class projects because:
 * the web-based collaboration sites of wikis help students with organization
 * wikis create a sense of “individual accountability
 * wikis create a sense of interdependence among the students.

Teaching with wikis can draw together students who might not otherwise interact and help lower-achieving students contribute on an even footing with students who excel, said Jennifer Sylves, an English teacher in western Pennsylvania's Trinity High School. “They (wikis) give everyone a meaningful task, so they (wikis) level the playing field.”

Jennifer Sylves finds wikis an invaluable teaching tool. She and a colleague, Nancy Hoffman, who teaches math and computer science, presented a workshop about Wikis to peers from across the region as part of The Consortium for Public Education’s 2009 Journey to Learn. Journey to Learn is a regional in-service day for teachers to share best practices across district lines.