Wikispaces in K–12 EducationLana Martin, Instructional Technologist

lamartin@caddo.k12.la.us

• Welcome• Read-only Web v. Read/Write Web• Evaluate Educational Wikis• Getting Started with Wikispaces• Wrap-up and Discussion about Follow-up Workshops

"Teaching students with new tools, enthusiasm, and belief that teaching is a noble calling". Vicki Davis,

Cool Cat Teacher

http://flatclassroomproject2006.wikispaces.com/

http://www.flatclassroomproject.net/index.html

Thomas Friedman's book title, "The World is Flat" is a metaphor for viewing the word as a level playing field in terms of commerce, where all competitors have an equal opportunity.

Wikis v Blogs

Blog post are typically written by a person or groups of people who provide information and insight...They are referred to as 'Bloggers'. The blog post and comments are recorded in reverse chronological order. People can scroll through the post, similar to reading journal.

Teams usually write wikis as a collective process. After someone creates a page, another team member may add more content, edit the content, or add supporting links. The community of authors helps to ensure the accuracy and relevancy of the content.

Welcome Activity

1. What is the read/write web?2. What is a wiki?3. What do these things mean for you and your students?

https://ttc-lamartin.wikispaces.com

Read-only Web

• Powerful resource for educators and students, but…• Information moves from publishers to consumers• Information cannot be edited• One-way Web (Web 1.0)

Read/Write Web

• It is now as easy to create as it is to consume• Anyone can publish, share, and change information online• Two-way Web (Web 2.0)• This is changing our world!

Wikis

• A wiki is a website that anyone can edit.• If you can use a word processor, you can use a wiki!• Visitors can see a history of changes and revert to earlier versions.• Visitors can discuss the page in a threaded forum.

Wikis In Plain English

•“It made me see that we have to explore our options thoroughly. We don't realize that we have so many different options when making a decision on something and this project being on a topic about life or death, made me realize that we need to put more thought into what we do in order to better our lives.”

•“I was able to realize and 'relate' to the victims more on a personal scale. we had to use real people's names, and choose real jobs and locations. It really opened my eyes to the reality of the situation, rather than just reading about it and forgetting, it will stick with me for a long time.”

How did this project change the way you look at decisions?

When you hear the word 'Wiki', what comes to mind?

Wikipedia

• Online encyclopedia• Collaboratively authored and edited• Over 1 million users worldwide• Over 1 million articles in English• Great resource, but…• Use with caution

Information literacyBias in text

Verifiability - check sources

What is the highest form of authoritative (reliable) information in the academic community?

Peer reviewed journals

Educational Wikis

• Collaboratively authored class texts• Writing projects• Group projects• Sharing resources• Grade level teams• Subject area teams• Professional development• Professional Learning Communities (PLC)• ePortfolios• Clubs, PTAs, and events• Mapping of concepts, brainstorming• Presentation tools

What Can We Do with Wikis?

•Collaborative projects among student groups- wikis act as a great organizer for students working on a group project. The discussion and email features allow for students to communicate asynchronously [ey-sing-kruh-nuhs-ly], so time together never becomes an issue.

•Class texts- study guides where each student is responsible for adding relevant content to help the class create a study guide through the wiki. Students would be able to pull in a multitude of resources from around the web and from text sources.

•Vocabulary or wikidictionaries- students build a virtual word-wall online as they learn new vocabulary throughout a year. At the end of the year, they can reflect back on the building process.

•Have focused classroom discussion- wikis allow you to extend the classroom discussion beyond the 40 or 70 minutes we see them. Also, it has been the experience of several of the teachers in our district that reserved/quiet students will contribute more to online wiki discussions. We call this the "drive-home" effect (thanks, Jo).

•"Choose Your Own Ending" stories- have students create a story that has multiple plots and endings using the wiki to link out to the various choices that the reader can make.

•Project resource pages- use a wiki to house all of the resources for your project, including how to's and videos to help the students understand concepts.

•International Collaboration- use a wiki as a homebase for a collaborative project with another school. The open access allows any member with an internet connection to be a part of the wiki.

•Create a Presentation

•Digital Portfolio- teachers and students alike can use a wiki to create a showcase of their work over a selected time period for reflection and review by others.

•Create Responsible Internet Users- Wikis allow you to place extraordinary power in the hands of the students, and as someone once said, "With great power comes great responsibility." Wikis need to be monitored and edited regularly, so by giving jobs to students as editors and monitors, you are asking them to police themselves

Before setting up your wiki, you need to make a plan. Here are some things to consider to make the planning run smoothly.

Will you use your wiki for- posting assignments- all subjects- parent communication- projects- discussions- evaluation activities- all of the above?

What are some pages you will include on your wiki?

How will you introduce your wiki to your students and parents? (Home page)

How much student input do you want included on your wiki?

How much wiki instruction will they need? How will you go about this?

What do you want to name your wiki? (Helpful tip: make it an easy name for younger students to type)

Parental permission. How will you ask parents for permission to post pictures?

PLANNING

Activity 1: Evaluate Educational Wikis

• Evaluate the wiki based on the following criteria:

1. What is a basic description of this wiki?2. Who is the intended audience for the wiki and what would they get out of it?3. Who are the intended contributors for the wiki and what would they contribute?4. How does this wiki accomplish something that only a wiki can accomplish?5. How could you adapt this model for your own work?

• Post your evaluations on the Discussion tab of the Home Page in the presentation wiki.

http://burell9history.wikispaces.com/

http://hop2wilson.wikispaces.com/

Activity 2: Create Your Own Wikihttp://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers/

• Create an Account • Create a Wiki• Edit Page• Discussion• History• Notifications• Create a New Page• Edit Navigation• Manage Wiki• My Account

Benefits

• Engagement and motivation• Context-embedded learning• Inquiry-driven learning• Collaborative learning• Reflection and metacognition

• 21st-century skills

Concerns

• Information literacy• Inappropriate content• Inappropriate sharing• Threats and cyber-bullying• Intellectual property• Fraud and identity theft• Stalkers and predators• Lack of understanding