2+-+What+is+a+wiki?

A wiki is one type of Web 2.0 tool that can be used in education. Take some time to review the wiki video and resources below. After you are done reviewing the resources you will need to follow the directions and post a comment at the bottom of this page. Watch this video to learn what a wiki is.

So, are you wondering how educators are using wiki's? Look at the link below to see some ideas. [|50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom] Take some time to look though some of the other wiki resources that I have listed below. The wiki we are using ( www.wikispaces.com ) is not the only wiki site available FREE for educators. Another great wiki site that educators can use is [|www.pbworks.com].
 * 1) [|Defintion of a Wiki from Wikipedia]
 * 2) [|Teachers First Wiki Walk-Through]

So, now that you have become familiar with what a wiki is and have some ideas how it can be used in the classroom, I want you to share your thoughts to the reflection questions below. To share your thoughts, you will be posting a comment at the bottom of this wiki page. Just type in your comment and click the "Add Comment" button. Reflection questions: 1. What ideas do you have for using wiki's in the classroom with students? If you are not a classroom teacher share how you would use a wiki in your position. 2. What safety concerns might there be when using this type of tool? 3. Are there any questions that you still have about this type of tool?

Additional Resource - If you like wiki's and think this is something you would want to create and use in your classroom, but need some help then check out these great [|PBworks teacher training videos].

Kacee A. Claybon ( My thoughts & Reflection about WIKI) November 11, 2011

I am not YET a classroom teacher but I am eager to incorporate the use of a wiki. I am most intrigued by the virtual field trip. This can really be spiced up to get the students excited about going to a far away place without leaving the classroom. I think a virtual field trip will be the first way I will impliment the wiki into my classroom.


 * Here is how:**

We will go to space on our first virtual field trip. The purpose of the field trip will be to learn about space and our planets. I will send home actual permission slips, asking for parental consent to embark on this mission. Prior to the actual event, students will desgin their own space uniform. This can be done in collaboration with the art teacher. We will set up the classroom to where the students are actually in a space ship and the smartboard/overhead will guide us through the online trip. Students will explore the different planets. They will get to see what they look like and where they are located. I will also try to get MRI meals, which are the pre-packaged food items that are taken to space for the astronauts to eat. At the end of the trip, students will discuss their thoughts on the trip and what they learned such as: Characteristics of each planet, the history of each planet and other pertinent pieces of information discussed on the field trip. I believe that if I make it tangible, something they can touch, such as making their uniforms and snacking on the MRI, then the field trip will have much more significance to them then it would if we were to just read from a textbook.

As for safety...Since we are not leaving the classroom, I can monitor the atmosphere and make sure everyone is doing what they need to do to remain safe. I would not have any equipment involved or any reason for the student to move around much so mishaps can be prevented. As for safety on the internet, I will be in control of the field trip 100% so students will not be able to browse the internet and wander to any non-educational sites.

The only quesion I have about this tool is how often should teachers use this approach to teaching? What is considered an overkill? I always have to keep in mind that some students may not enjoy or learn as much by using this method. Ideally, you would assume that all students would enjoy this and gain a wealth of knowledge but in today's world, as we say over and over again, not all student learn the same.

Danielle Deno November 15, 2011 I am not a classroom teacher yet, but I my plans are to teach at the younger level. I would love to teach second or first grade. After researching and looking through the provided resources, I really like the idea of using a wiki to create a "Where is Wanda" project. While student teaching in the second grade, my students made a flat stanley and then took it home with them over spring break. When they came back, they were all ecstatic to share their Flat Stanely projects with the class. I think an online version of this project would be a great way to not only integrate technology into the classroom, but also get student's more excited about learning. My thoughts would be to set up my wiki in a way that parents and students would be able to log in, see a calendar of the whole year that would tell them which week it was there turn to have Wanda and then step by step directions on how to set up the project and how to make their own page of all the adventures that they have with Wanda. Not only would the students be learning, but so would their parents. I'm excited to get into my own classroom and experience a wiki first hand. I am not really worried about the safety when it comes to a wiki, except that students would be online. There is a lot of bad things out their on the web, but as long as they only use the links given to them on the wiki, there should be no concern. I do not really have any questions about wiki's. I am excited to some day create my own wiki and use it in my classroom as a technology tool to help my students learn and grow.

//Claire Beerbower//
//15 November 2011// //I really like the wikis that allow teachers and students to work together to create a common project, for example an online scrapbook or a comic book. I would use these tools in my classroom to create a sense of community and to establish a safe learning environment where students felt comfortable being themselves and exploring their world together. I love the idea of an online scrapbook where I can post pictures and updates as the year progresses so that they can not only remember all the activities and experiences we shared together, but they can also track their growth from the beginning of the year to the end. I would have every student make a page in our scrapbook that highlighted them with a picture or two of them doing something they enjoy and then quotes, links, video clips, music, or any aristic design that best portrays their personalities. We would also have a page for each special activity we do that so students can see that page and hopefully remember what that lesson was about.// //I also like the idea of creating an online book. Being a language arts teacher, this presents many opportunities to encourage students' creativity and allow them to practice their writing skills. I could do a short story with them, having each student add a page onto what the previous student wrote. Or I could have them write their own poetry and compile a book of original poems by the class. I would also use the creation of original comics to draw in reluctanct readers and combine writing and narrative skills with artistic design.// //Lastly, I would use programs like stickies to allow students to basically lead group discussions. I like the idea of giving students a topic to debate and then having them post their banter on online "sticky notes". This tool is also useful for prompt writing. I can ask a thought-provoking question at the beginning of class, but instead of having them write in their actual journals like we usually do, they could contribute to an all-class discussion on the message board. That way everyone can interact with the thoughts and opinions of others.// //I do get nervous when I think about high school students having the freedom to explore all these sites, especially since wikis allow any and everybody to edit and contribute to the site. But I think as educators, we need to be aware of the dangers and choose tools that allow us to make private groups, set privacy settings, or only allow me as the teacher to decide who gets to interact with the page. That way we are still in control of the input while allowing students to speak their minds freely without fear of privacy breach and inappropriate material.//

//Denitta Pumphrey// //11/15/11//

My content area is high school business. It would be fun to create a career wiki that allows students to write a report on alumni’s and their professions; inviting the alumni to participate and share their input. This would be an interesting way to connect the students to different real world career paths. Some concerns would be receiving inappropriate information and keeping it private when involving outsiders.

Anne Knollmann 11/15/11

I can see myself using wiki’s for students as a glossary type of feature. If the students are reading books and don’t know words, they can add it to the wiki. Other students who may not know the work can look at the glossary and learn what it means. They can also use it as a forum of asking questions about certain topics. I can see wiki’s being used for collaboration for class parties by student’s parents and teachers. I know this isn’t directly related to students, but it can still be useful. Committee of parents usually is in charge of creating activities, getting materials, and running the parties. Wiki’s can be used to organize and arrange lists of materials needed, sign up page for responsibilities by parents, what activities are decided, etc. The last several schools I have worked in, the whole grade does something together, so this will be a great way to get many busy parents on the same page. The glossary may not be accurate. It will have to be monitor by the teacher. It will have to be censored so that the students can’t put anything they want on it. There needs to be guidelines set out at the beginning of the year. I will also need to teach students about creating good passwords and how to keep them safe. What are simple ways to teach young children to navigate through wiki’s? Is there a way to use this tool while teaching students to learn to use the computer, mouse, etc?

Shelley Gardner 11/15/11

I would create a virtual classroom through a Web2 designed to connect my students to, for instance, a history lesson involving the current President. This would be a research adventure that involved several resources from the World Wide Web in cooperation with the online school library/media center. This would be a cooperative learning tool designed to be used in teams. Social Studies and English teachers can develop interdisciplinary strands by sharing the writing process, research skills, bibliography format, and public speaking techniques all accessible through the Wiki. The students will be able to explore, virtually, with online resources. They will utilize a graphic organizer that collects resources and also allows other students to view this information and respond to each other.

As far as a safety concern, if you use legitimate sights within the confines of the classroom, I wouldn't be concerned. When they are accessing at home, when the login to the classroom website, aren't there safety nets? They at some point they have to be held accountable for accessing inappropriate resources. That is part of their character building.

Chelsea Maltagliati November 20, 2011

I, like many in our class, have not yet begun my teaching career. After taking this class and learning many things, I am now more excited than ever to start teaching. Wiki's I believe are a great tool, especially at the high school level to engage students in learning. I am excited to do group projects and assignments through wiki's. Also I believe that by having my students work on something collectively on something that they will be able to show anyone with internet access will instill pride in my students for the work that they have completed. I cannot wait to incorporate all of the technology information that I have learned from this class into my daily lesson plans.

Andrew Clark November 20, 2011

This is freaking awesome! I believe that it should be used in every class. I teach 9th grade Science which include physical science, physics, forensics, and earth sciences. After reading about wiki's I can't understand why it would not be used in every class, especially on the high school level. Our students are using wiki's everyday, I also found a cellphone mobile web 2.0 that I think I'm going to use in my own classroom. These digital natives are here to stay and they need to be taught in their own language (so to speak). I will be hard for them to understand book reports, written encyclopedias, typewriters, and other out of date materials that we used growing up. If I can gain enough knowledge and use the gadgets my students are use to, and make them learn while using these instruments, I believe I will have a more proficient classroom.

Vickie Fahey November 21, 2011

1. What ideas do you have for using wiki's in the classroom with students? If you are not a classroom teacher share how you would use a wiki in your position.

I am not currently a classroom teacher, but I find the idea of a classroom wiki very interesting. It can possibly be used as something we can continuously add to throughout the year, each student with their own page, asking questions or telling about their aha moments, rather than each student creating their own blog or site - it would all be in one place making it easier to access.

2. What safety concerns might there be when using this type of tool?

As far as safety concerns - I see issues with it being public for anyone to access. I know that the likelihood of a classroom wiki being accessed by some random stranger on the internet is quite small; however, it does still exist and I am a privacy nazi. Therefore students would need to be further educated about online safety and guidelines would need to be put into place regarding what information can and cannot be posted to the wiki. It would then also require a time commitment from the teacher to monitor the wiki closely to make sure that guidelines are being followed.

3. Are there any questions that you still have about this type of tool?

Another issue I would see, and I wonder if there is a way to prevent it, would be that students could alter another individual's page on the wiki or the information that another student would post. It may or may not be intentional but it would need to be monitored closely as well to make sure it doesn't happen. I wonder if there would be a way to block that from happening?