What is a Wiki and How to Use it in a Classroom.

ByCB

EDT 6440 Fall 2010Assignment: Educational Mashup P1

November 29, 2010

Wikis

The following is a video from commoncraft.com to give you an idea of what a wiki is all about:

Wikis in Plain English. Lefever, Lee. 2007, May 29. Retrieved November 28, 2010 from:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY

A wiki is a website that enables you to create pages, add your own content and also lets you invite others to join and edit the site. This can be a new way for you to promote collaboration and sharing among your students.

Examples of Classroom Wikishttp://mrsibrahim.wikispaces.com/

A second grade classroom by Mrs. Ibrahim:http://screencast.com/t/VvPvnRo5b

Mrs. Ibrahim created links for various subjects in her class. Under each link she shows work examples from her class and has even embedded a game link. Here are some examples from Mrs. Ibrahim’s page:

Math:http://screencast.com/t/bYtmTP26NvRO

Thinking Maps:http://screencast.com/t/HvQPmwVyhn

Here are some examples to get you thinking about what you would like to accomplish in your classroom.

Examples of Classroom Wikishttp://kkps-r25.wikispaces.com/

Here is another example of a 5th grade classroom from Hamish McLean at Katikati Primary School. Notice you can also add a homework link and a discussion link. Here are some examples from Mr. McLean’s page:

Homepage: http://screencast.com/t/xO40bPFs

Homework:http://screencast.com/t/AGumxP7tNpX

Learning Journey:http://screencast.com/t/XqGFXABfNoP

Webquest: Inventions:http://screencast.com/t/OzwhuaSzvo

When you create a wiki you can decide how much protection you want. You can password protect all or some of your wiki so that only you and your students may view the material.

Examples of Classroom Wikishttp://6thgrade-07.pbworks.com/w/page/1071815/FrontPage

Here is an example taken from a 6th grade classroom from Teresa Almeida d'Eça. Teresa explains that the wiki was “was created in Mar. 2008 as an attempt to provide "remedial" work to students in their second year EFL (English as a Foreign Language) who were (falling) behind, having difficulty in keeping up with class work and facing the prospect of failing English. My idea was to create different kinds of exercises based on texts in their textbook and on audio files that come with the textbook, always based on units that we had covered previously in class.” (Almeida d’Eca, 2008) Here are some examples from Teresa Almeida d’Eca’s page:

Grammar:http://screencast.com/t/HC8x1laQ6o

Listening:http://screencast.com/t/WOhgW5WcR3

Wikis can be used to enhance on-going activities in the classroom, re-teach previous material or as an extension to challenge students who already have a grasp on a concept.

Wiki Sites Here are some free sites that you can go to and create your own wiki!

1.http://pbworks.com/

1.www.wikispaces.com

1.http://www.wetpaintcentral.com/

Create Your Own Wiki1.Pick a website such as www.wikispaces.com2.Scroll down until you find the link: K-12 Classroom Wikis3.http://screencast.com/t/cadwJsrb4.Create an account5. http://screencast.com/t/V1eP2t2DKO6. Then you can start edited your page. Here is a wiki I have started this year: http://screencast.com/t/tXK3FWH2fr7.I have also started using the discussion section. My students are able to answer the questions with a partner or in a small group. http://screencast.com/t/EJ96v7In

I have started off with small steps. I’ve put up some links for reading and for our science webquests. I have found it easier to keep everything on the wiki so we all start off in the same place in the computer lab. I have also started using some discussion links to drive our class discussions. It’s frustrating for some of my students that are not great at typing yet but we are managing. The students are excited whenever we log on.

Enjoy Creating your Wiki!