1. An Easy 21st Century Student-Centered Tool Your Class Can’t Be Without Wikis for Everyone!

2. Cara Grasso Math Teacher Sabino High School Tucson Unified School District Cara.grasso@tusd1.org

3. What’s a Wiki? According to Wikipedia a wiki is a “page or collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language.” According to Wikipedia a wiki is a “page or collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language.”

4. Why Wiki? Advantages of Wikis over regular web pages Advantages of Wikis over regular web pages –Easy –Free –No software required (other than a web browser)‏ –Does not require HTML –Easy to track changes on the Wiki –Its mostly set up—you just need to fill in the content

5. Wikis Requirements Internet access Internet access E-mail account E-mail account Basic typing and computer skills Basic typing and computer skills –Uses an interface similar to Word

6. Example of a Wiki My Honors Pre-Calculus class made a wiki for the end of semester review My Honors Pre-Calculus class made a wiki for the end of semester review http://honorsprecaltrig.wikispaces.com http://honorsprecaltrig.wikispaces.com http://honorsprecaltrig.wikispaces.com

7. Uses of Wiki Reviews for finals Reviews for finals Jig Saw activities Jig Saw activities PowerPoint presentations PowerPoint presentations Class website Class website Multimedia presentations Multimedia presentations

8. Value of the Wiki Computer skills are essential to nearly every profession Computer skills are essential to nearly every profession Colleges assign group projects on-line (webCT, blackboard vista, web assign etc.)‏ Colleges assign group projects on-line (webCT, blackboard vista, web assign etc.)‏ Gives students an opportunity to be creative and show mastery of math content in an alternate format Gives students an opportunity to be creative and show mastery of math content in an alternate format

9. Students Comments About Their Wiki Experience “It is very easy to add documents and to remove documents from the wiki” “It is very easy to add documents and to remove documents from the wiki” “Fun Project” “Fun Project” “Everything was easy to do and understand” “Everything was easy to do and understand” “Good Experience” “Good Experience”

10. Little Leason We Learned Along the Way “The wiki shouldn’t be edited by two people at the same time(!)” “The wiki shouldn’t be edited by two people at the same time(!)” 2007 Office documents are not backwards compatible with 2003 Office 2007 Office documents are not backwards compatible with 2003 Office “Loading Documents to the wiki instead of working directly on the page was more organized” “Loading Documents to the wiki instead of working directly on the page was more organized”

11. Starting a Wiki Website www.wikipaces.com Website www.wikipaces.comwww.wikipaces.com We have given away over 130,000 wikis for K-12 education. Learn more and create your own classroom wiki today. We have given away over 130,000 wikis for K-12 education. Learn more and create your own classroom wiki today.create your own classroom wiki todaycreate your own classroom wiki today

12. Create Your Wiki Private Wiki Private Wiki –Allows only members of the wiki to view and edit the wiki –Students are invited to join via e-mail You can create a different wiki for each class you teach You can create a different wiki for each class you teach

13. Editing Your Wiki Click on the “Edit this Page” Click on the “Edit this Page” –A text editor will appear –Type and edit just like a word document –When you are finished click “Save”

14. Add a New Page to Your Wiki Highlight the text that you want to link Highlight the text that you want to link Click on the Link Icon Click on the Link Icon Rename the new page if you wish Rename the new page if you wish Click “OK” Click “OK”

15. Add an External Link to the Wiki Highlight the text that you want to link Highlight the text that you want to link Click the link icon Click the link icon Click the External Link radio button Click the External Link radio button Type in the web address Type in the web address Click “OK” Click “OK”

16. Other Features of a Wiki You can upload files, images, and video You can upload files, images, and video Click the Insert Images and Pictures icon Click the Insert Images and Pictures icon Select the file to be uploaded from your computer Select the file to be uploaded from your computer Add word documents, powerpoint, pdf, images, videos, etc Add word documents, powerpoint, pdf, images, videos, etc

17. Changing the Settings Click “Manage Wiki” Click “Manage Wiki” Click “Look and Feel” Click “Look and Feel” –You can change the color, design, and add a logo

18. Adding Students to the Wiki Click “Manage Wiki” Click “Manage Wiki” Click “Invite People” Click “Invite People” Enter e-mail address (have students enter their own!)‏ Enter e-mail address (have students enter their own!)‏ Click “Send” Click “Send”

19. Final Thoughts When presented with a challenge students usually will not only meet the challenge but will usually produce at a level higher than expected When presented with a challenge students usually will not only meet the challenge but will usually produce at a level higher than expected