Informational Session – 25 minutes
Creation – 25 minutes
Show and Tell – 10 minutes
A wiki is a collection of web pages designed to enable anyone with access to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language. Wikis are often an ongoing process used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites.
A single page in a wiki website is referred to as a "wiki page", while the entire collection of pages, which are usually well interconnected by hyperlinks, is "the wiki".
Generally, there is no review before modifications are accepted. Many wikis are open to alteration by the general public without requiring them to register user accounts.
Many edits, however, can be made in real-time and appear almost instantly online. Facilitate abuse of the system.
Private wiki servers require user authentication to edit pages, and sometimes even to read them.
Most wikis keep a record of changes made to wiki pages; often every version of the page is stored. This means that authors can revert to an older version of the page, should it be necessary because a mistake has been made or the page has been vandalized.
http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Wikis+in+the+Classroom
www.wikipedia.com
www.pbworks.com www.wikispaces.com
Most students have never used a wiki before and will need instructions and practice on how to actually use the software. By providing time and instructions for how to use the wiki, students will feel more comfortable in this environment and be more willing to contribute. Post wiki rules and require participants to abide by them Be patient with students and realize they may require
technical assistance as they learn how to participate in a wiki environment
Create a culture of trust within the wiki Provide clear and explicit course expectations Assign meaningful, authentic activities Include a common goal for collaborative activities Define and identify student roles, activities, and assessments Remind students of course deadlines and schedules Model examples of collaborative activities
Classroom information/Subject wiki – what your class is up to, calendar, upload newsletters and circulars in case they get “lost” in someone’s bag; information for students, homework, assignments, a calendar. No more “ I didn’t know what to do for homework.” or “I lost the rubric.”
Whole class/Group projects – students make X-number of pages relating to a research topic and link to their classmates’ work; group of students can collaborate on reports, presentations, etc, without that classic excuse, “James is away sick and he has all of the work!”
Organizing a major event /sporting tournament– set up dates, fixtures, contact details; all members of the committee can work on the planning
Curriculum planning – link to resources, upload worksheets and lesson plans
Pen Pals – write to people anywhere or collaborate on international projects
Collaborative story telling: students can work together on stories
Relatively simple technology Promotes “real-world” collaboration skills Fosters richer communication Pools strengths of many Accessible, easy to track Online collaborative writing produces
higher quality writing than face-to-face collaborations
Safety/security issues Labor for moderator Combating “copy and paste” Potential inequitable work distribution
by contributors
A blog is a type of website that acts as an online journal, usually maintained by an individual with a place to post information, regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.
Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.
Combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.
The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.
Personal blogs – an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual, is the most common blog. Microblogging - extremely detailed blogging. Sites, such as Twitter, allow
bloggers to share thoughts and feelings instantaneously; much faster than e-mailing or writing.
Corporate blogs – a private blog, or it can be for business purposes. Enhances the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding, or public relations purposes are called corporate blogs.
By media type – VLOG – comprised of videos LINKLOG – comprised of links SKETCHLOG - a site containing a portfolio of sketches PHOTOBLOG – comprised of photos TYPECAST BLOGS - blogs that are written on typewriters and then
scanned
TeacherVision http://www.teachervision.fen.com/blog/career-in-education/3
3550.html
TeacherMagazine http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/section/blogs/index.htm
l
EduBlogAwards http://edublogawards.com/2007/best-teacher-blog-2007/
The Top 50 Blogs by Teachers http://www.teachingtips.com/blog/2008/06/30/50-must-read-
up-and-coming-blogs-by-teachers/
www.blogger.com www.wordpress.com www.edublogs.org www.teacherlingo.com
Write about your passions as they pertain to teaching or education, and tell other professionals about your blog. Develop a number of regular readers and they will comment on your
writing Effective and fun way to share your ideas, gather tips from others’
experiences, and mingle with fellow educators from all over the world. Classroom management tool Post assignments for your students
Inform students of important events: homework, excursions Include links to educational websites that will enhance your students’
knowledge and understanding of concepts and topics discussed in class
Post extra credit assignments on the blog as an incentive to students who check it regularly.
Showcase student art, poetry, stories; post photos and comment on class activities.
invite student comments or postings on issues in order to give them a writing voice.
Autobiographical writing – students can use the blog as a journal or diary of day-to-day life
Book journaling – students write their thoughts or respond with comments to the teacher’s or other student’s posts about books
Science reports – students journal the investigation process
Art impressions – students comment on works of art Creative writing – students write posts as prose or
poetry and constructively critique one another’s work Digital portfolio – students can record a body of work
by uploading documents and images
Provide a space where students and teachers can learn from each other
Help learners see knowledge as interconnected as opposed to a set of discrete facts
Give students a new perspective on the meaning of voice. Student voices are essential to the conversations we need to have about learning.
Foster ownership and choice. They help lead us away from students trying to find what the teacher wants in terms of an answer.
Students feel more compelled to write when they believe many others may read and respond. It gives them motivation to excel.
Records of ongoing learning. It facilitates reflection and evaluation. Promotes Creative, Intuitive and Associational thinking Promotes Analogical thinking
Collective and collaborative learning. Students have the opportunity to read their classmates’ blogs and those of others. This is not possible in a regular classroom setting.
Possibility of connecting with experts on the topic students are writing
The interactive nature creates enthusiasm for writing and communication.
Engages students in conversation and learning. Encourages global conversations about learning – conversations
not previously possible in our classrooms. Opportunity for our students to learn to write for life-long
learning. Opportunity to teach responsible public writing. Students can
learn about the power of the published words and the responsibilities involved with public writing.
Promotes Critical and Analytical thinking
Each of the categories has a number of key verbs associate with it
Creating – design, construct, plan, produce, invent, devise
Evaluating – check, hypothesize, critique, experiment
Analyzing – compare, organize, deconstruct, attribute
Applying – implement, use, execute Understanding – interpret, summarize, infer,
classify Remembering – recognize, list, describe, identify
Analyzing Linking – establish and build links within and
outside of documents and web pages Evaluating
Blog/vlog commenting and reflecting – Constructive criticism and reflecting practice are often facilitated by the use of blogs and video blogs. Students commenting and replying to postings have to evaluate the material in context and reply
Posting – posting comments to blogs, discussion boards, threaded discussions. Good postings like good comments, are not simple one-line answers but rather are structured and constructed to evaluate the topic or concept
Moderating – this is high level evaluation; the moderator must be able to evaluate a posting or comment from a variety of perspectives, assessing its worth, value and appropriateness
Collaborating and networking – effective collaboration involves evaluating the strengths and abilities of the participants and evaluating the contribution they make. Networking is a feature of collaboration, contacting and communicating with relevant persons via a network of associates.
Creating Publishing –requires a huge overview of not only the
content being published, but the process and product. Related to this concept are also Video blogs – the production of video blogs, blogging and also wiki-ing – creating, adding to , and modify content in wikis.
Before you ask your students to blog, you need to do so first. This way you have a solid understanding of the process and can model the behavior you want your students to exhibit. Suggestions of how to grow blogging into your class:
1. Become a blogger. Start your own blog on any subject you choose and update it regularly.
2. Start a class blog with simple announcements, homework assignments, and external links.
3. Ask students to read other blogs. Start by supplying a subject related list and review them with your students.
4. Ask students to respond to posts on your own blog.5. Have students create and maintain a group blog.6. Ask each student to start and maintain their own blog on a
subject of their interest that is pertinent to the class.
Choose from the list of wiki/blog sites below, create an account for a wiki and one for a blog. www.wikispaces.com - WIKI www.pbworks.com - WIKI www.blogger.com - BLOG www.wordpress.com - BLOG www.edublogs.org – BLOG www.teacherlingo.com - BLOG
If you’re a teacher: On your wiki account, write about what you may plan to do with a
wiki in your classroom On your blog account, blog about what you may plan to do with a
blog in your classroom If you are a CFF coach:
On your wiki account, write about how you may plan to showcase a wiki to your teachers
On your blog account, blog about how you may plan to showcase a blog to your teachers
Top Related