Hoi+Wong

A habitat restoration activity that is happening in my area in New York City is described in this link [] The organization that is working to help this issue is the NYC Audubon's Conservation Programs in Jamaica Bay.

Here is how I would use wiki to raise awareness on this issue and/or to get my students involved in the restoration activity: Since most elementary school children are too young to put themselves out there and get involved in restoration activities, teachers should target their students' parents if they want to encourage them to participate. Creating a wiki group like this one is a great and quick way to disseminate information to busy parents. It also enables the audience to view widgets like photos and videos that sometimes explain the issue at hand better than words can. Usually, it is these photos and videos that catches their attention and motivate them to volunteer and take action.

The first wiki page of the group would describe the plight of the shorebirds and give examples of how we can help by cleaning up man-made debri that prevents their food from growing and clearing invasive species such as the Asian bittersweet. I would explain to parents that we, as a class of students and their parents, could form a volunteer group to help the birds. It would be an after-school project that the teacher, students and their parents take on to supplement the science curriculum. By volunteering, students would build teamwork skills working closely with their classmates, get valuable hands-on experience, make a difference in the community by helping to maintain and protect the local wildlife and habitats and learn about restoration ecology first-hand.

Interested parents would join the wiki group and have the opportunity to make their own wiki pages to update the rest of the class and the public on how the volunteer work is going. The would write about their experiences on helping the birds and how their children are enjoying working closely with their teacher and classmates on a not so typical school project. Photos and videos could also be posted on the wiki pages. Similarly, students would also be required to create their own wiki pages, under their parent's supervision, where they write about their experiences helping the birds.

Comments on Jennie Lavia's page: I like that you plan to conduct a class trip to visit the actual site in order to promote learning. I also think that it is a good idea to use wiki to give students a sneak peek at what they are about to encounter on the trip to the Salt Marsh Nature Center. It's great that you've provided a document consisting of pictures and a map of the site. It's informative and would really get the students even more excited for the trip.