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.pbworks.com] ) is not the only wiki site available FREE for educators. Another great wiki site that educators can use is www.wikispaces.com.
 * 1) [|Defintion of a Wiki from Wikipedia]
 * 2) [|Teachers First Wiki Walk-Through]
 * 3) [|Best Practices]
 * 4) [|Recent article on how wiki's are being used in a classroom with 8th graders]

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. <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2. What safety concerns might there be when using this type of tool? <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Are there any questions that you still have about this type of tool?

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">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 <span style="color: #114488; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|PBworks teacher training videos] <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">.

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Now your ready to go back to the <span style="color: #114488; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Web 2.0 Project Assignment page <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">to continue on with the next step of this project.

I found that the 50 Ways to Use Wikis in the classroom were terrific! Some of the ways I plan to implement Wikis into my teaching will be peer editing, multi-author story, literature circles, newsletters, and virtual field trips. Some of the concerns that I have are the students mot appropriately participating and writing "rude" or "obscene" comments toward other students and their works. Another concern would be that parents could change newsletter information, such as student of the week. One question I still have, Is there any way to stop editing on a page, such as the newsletter type? Posted by: Jennifer Saunders

I really like the idea of using a wiki page in my classroom teaching. I would use the wiki for things like presentations, study guides, reviews, vocabulary lists, class questions and answers, class rules and discipline plans and to help keep things organized. I do have a safety concern.....If the users can edit the wiki page, how can you stop students from writing inappropriate comments on the page? How can we monitor students to make sure they are not changing the information we post? I don't think I have any other questions at the moment. Posted by: Laura DeClue (3/21/11)

I think the Wiki is a great tool to use in the classrooms today. It would help the students to learn more technology. I would use it for newsletters, presentations, discipline and rules for the classroom, and virtual field trips. I would only be concerned with the students being rude and making inappropriate comments to another student. Posted By: Dawn Carter

I think that using Wiki would be great to use in the classroom. This is a great way to keep notes, study guides, and other learning activities all in one spot. I think it would also be good for a teacher information page; which would have teacher schedules and biography, classroom ploicies and rules, discipline ploicies, course discriptions, etc. I have the same concerns as Dawn, Laura, and Jennifer; How can we make sure students are not changing information or writing bad things on other's work?? Posted by: Jeff Gschwender