Wikis

What are Wikis? Could this be a Wiki? MoT0Ehttp:// MoT0E

What wikis really are: Wikis are a collection of web pages that provide a free online writing space. Wikis make collaboration simple by allowing anyone with access to the wiki to contribute to the wiki without having knowledge of HTML. The collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia is one of the best-known wikis. 0sIPog&feature=relatedhttp:// 0sIPog&feature=related

Why use a Wiki ? Wikis provide a different, free, fun space for writing. Wikis provide an effective, efficient way for students to collaborate on group projects. Wikis provide a history allowing users to monitor wiki entries and to check for participation and progress. Wikis provide a space to share ideas.

What can you do with a wiki in your classroom. Literature circles Book reviews Research projects Group study guides Vocabulary lists Author studies Journals A travelogue from a field trip Procedures for math problems Debates on class topics The possibilities are endless.

Are wikis difficult to use? Wikis are surprisingly simple to use. This video demonstrates just how painless it is to wiki. Wikis in Plain English: dnL00TdmLY dnL00TdmLY

Getting started with wikis is easy. Choose a wiki space. Here are a few possibilities: Writing Wiki is a free online writing spaces for college students or others who love writing. Because it's a fairly new site, Writing Wiki does not attract significant numbers of readers. Writing Wiki sponsors student writing and original research. Writing Wiki Writing Wiki Wikipedia Wikibooks Teaching Wiki is a free space for teachers to brainstorm about pedagogy, research, and theory. Teaching Wiki Wikispaces: provides a simple interface, a visual page editor, and a focus on community collaboration PB Works (named for its simplicity) says that working with their wikis is “as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich.”

Lets create a wiki using PB Works. (Activity one) Find an available computer. Perform a Google search for PB Works. Once you are on the PB Works site choose “create and account” and create an account using an address (or addresses) that you can access immediately. Once you have created an account you will need to check for an conformation. Follow the directions on the conformation and you will be returned to PB Works.

Creating a wiki continued… You may be prompted to supply another address. Follow the steps/directions until you are on this page. (I will be demonstrating the steps using a Smart board. I will have the appropriate page on the Smart board for choosing the type of wiki needed.) Choose the free basic educational wiki.

Creating a wiki for book ranking. The wiki you will be creating today will initially be used for rating books that your class may be reading. Follow the directions to set up your wiki including: naming the wiki and adding all of the students in your class as writers for this wiki. I will walk around and answer any questions that you may have.

Posting and linking on your new Wiki. (Activity two.) Click “edit” in the top left corner. Type the words “Book ranking.” Click save. Now click edit again and highlight the words “Book rating.” Locate the symbol that looks like a small globe and a chain link on the tool bar. Click on the symbol to create a link to another page.

Linking on the wiki continued…. Clicking the on the globe will bring up a box in which you will choose where you want to link to. Choose new page, and give the new page the name “The grade you teach + Book Rating” in the next box. example: (3 rd Grade Book Rating) Click ok This will open up your new page already in the edit mode.

Posting on the wiki. Type the title of the book you are going to rank on this page. Click Save. You have created a space for rating this book. You may type in title of any book that you would like to rate here or students can type in any book they would like to rate here.

Creating a page to rank your book. (Activity three.) In the top right corner you will see “create a page.” Click on create a page. Name your new page “Your name + the title of the book you will be rating.” Example: “Mrs. Techsavvy’s Freckle Juice Rating.” Click ok. When you click ok, your new page will open in the edit mode.

Posting to the wiki. Rate your book however you like (a scale of 1-10, 1-5 stars) and write a quick couple of sentences explaining your rating. Click save. You have created the first “book rating” for this title. Your students may rate this book also by creating their own page for this title.

What else can you do with the wiki that you created today? Create a space on this wiki for research projects. Create a space on this wiki for a writer’s workshop. Start a “story pass along” where each student adds their own section to a continuing story. A wiki “fan club” for favorite authors. A collaborative (tradition and customs) project with students in another country.