Baltimore County Public School system rolls out PBwiki to 103,643 students and 8,850 classroom teachers.
They've created a collaborative environment that allows teachers and students to see multiple models of outstanding writing. Prior to using the wiki, teachers who wanted to highlight a well-written student response, needed to first copy it and then, make a transparency. Frequently, the text was illegible in places and because of the amount of work involved and time constraints only one or two student models were displayed.
The county knows from research that the more student models writers see, the more rich and well-written responses we receive. PBwiki provides the means for students to view multiple models 24/7 and as a result, to independently assess and improve their written responses. In addition, the collaborative environment facilitates the development of peer review and editing skills.
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