Allison Payne, GT Facilitator Oakdale Middle School Web 2.0 How-to for Educators by Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum, 2010

Objectives: Be able to answer What is a wiki? Why use a wiki? When do you use a wiki? How do you get started with wikis?

 Wikis are web pages that students can use to write, edit, and add elements, such as images and video, to create collaborative projects.  The most well-known wiki in public use is Wikipedia, a collaborative encyclopedia.  The most popular wikis in education are PBworks and Wikispaces.  wiki video wiki video

 Assignments that have: Project-based learning, collaboration, authentic work and tasks, audience, peer editing during the writing process  Students produce a shared document online by writing, editing, and revising it in their own class, across a grade, school, district, or with others  Contributions can be 24/7  Wikis allow people to edit someone else’s work, revert to previous versions, and keep track of everyone’s individuals entries

 Team-writing assignment in which students research a topic in the curriculum, analyze what they find, enter their syntheses in to the wiki, and consult one another to make sure the topic is covered thoroughly and accurately. They can use peer editing to make sure the writing is clear and concise.  Regions of France Regions of France

 Changes are visible instantly  democratic process  encourages responsibility & accountability  teachers can track work done by each student  High level of contribution and quality performance  Easy to edit (like Microsoft Word); focus is on the message, not the format  Parents and community members can read the work that brings in a wider authentic audience

 Post technology projects in the wiki and then use the discussion tab to discuss the work entered (like a blog, peer-to-peer evaluation)…  Pose questions, point students to resources, and encourage students to find answers and solutions (nonfiction articles?)  Use private wiki with individual classes  The wiki is only the tool to enhance learning; the problem solving is what drives the project.  Wikis as electronic portfolios  Good places to post information that both parents and students can read (post assignments, lessons, and links to resources—public wiki)

 World Lit: discuss elements of an epic and create original epics as a class  Environmental science: use discussion area to create class discussions  Middle school teams or department news  Geometry: links to applications that students access and use to solve equations  8 th grade English: write advice for incoming 7 th graders  Sport: practice plans, reflections on game, announcements

 Write and edit policy documents such as Internet safety rules, hallway safety procedures  Sharing of best practices and teaching strategies  Book study/PGP  Team news and/or growth

 1. Create a culture of trust in the class.  2. Establish goals for the project.  3. Post clear instructions.  4. Establish guidelines for all processes.  5. Set deadlines.  6. Create and display assessment rubrics.  7. Make sure project activities are meaningful.  8. Define roles for team members and work with teams to assign them.  9. Keep instructions simple for both assignment and for the wiki page.

 10. Provide examples and suggestions.  11. Decide if the wikis should be open to the public or limited to the class.  12. Remind students of copyright and licensing issues.  13. Check work regularly.  14. Provide encouragement and consistent feedback.

 Classroom should be a collaborative atmosphere  Students need to be willing to edit the work of others  A “blanket” rather than a “quilt” (cohesive work rather than individual’s pieced together parts)  Student input on rubric criteria  Opportunity to self-assess

 PBworks PBworks Helpful link: helpful tutorial wikihelpful tutorial wiki  Wikispaces

 HS English HS English  teacher helped students discuss and deal with modern problems by understanding how they relate to the same issues in Romeo and Juliet. Students researched the internet for information to help them better understand these problems in order to better write about them. What they tried to show included how to notice the issues, how these issues started, how to understand the different classifications that were in them, and how to resolve them.

 Students choose their own topic, do research, and demonstrate learning with a PBwiki.  Most of the projects involve students posting information and links to websites with information about the topic for other students.

 This writing project focused on the book above by Chris Van Allsburg. Fourteen classes from around the world with students aged 9-12 collaboratively wrote a story that goes along with each page of the book, creating their own versions. Classes were paired with one or two students from the partner class, and they communicated using Google Docs, , and Skype.

 m/Seasons m/Seasons   About+the+World About+the+World  