wikis

=About Wikis =

So, what is a wiki?

"Wiki" is the Hawaiian word for "quick."

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A wiki is essentially a web page with an "edit" button allowing users to add and edit information. This provides a very useful, and sometimes powerful, way for the wiki users to collaborate on projects. In a wiki, anyone and everyone gets to decide what will be said (content), how it will be said (organization), and whether it will be said (dissemination). =====

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Of course, the most wonderful attribute of a wiki is that it is just simply...simple. YOU can make a webpage. Your students can make a webpage. Your content department or grade level colleagues can make a webpage. It is simple to make, simple to update, simple to host. And that's something we've never really had before. Oh, we've had the ability to create webpages for a long time, but they involved lots of complications. This is just...simple. =====

=Let's See Some Examples =

**Exceptional collection of classroom wikis** From Vicki Davis (she's definitely worth "following") http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Classroom+Wikis

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A fabulous site from a gifted teacher and her amazing CyberChickens! =====

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Several elementary classes collaborated on this wiki about patterns. =====

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[|McWhorter Elementary Wiki] 4th Grade Wiki =====

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examples (Dave Sherman) - The students in Sue Barwick's 4th grade class really got excited about the Wikis. Here are some outstanding examples of student work on a Wiki that is directly connected to the curriculum. Students were adding information on their own, without the teacher asking them to. =====

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High school Viet Nam war research project all built into a wiki. =====

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[|Missouri History Chapter Wiki] =====

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This is //our// virtual classroom and a place to explore our solar system. ([|Miguel Guhlin]) =====

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">(Paul Bogush) Our class wiki used for 8th Grade Social Studies. =====

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">(Kristin Hokanson) 9th Grade Humanities classes collaborated to demonstrate and teach their understanding of Latin America. =====

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">A collaborative project between Neveh Channah High School students (Israel) and LCC (Montreal) - (Karen Guth, Reuven Werber, Sharon Peters) =====

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Other Wiki Uses
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">DPS Librarian Tool Box <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Created by Antonio at ERS, this is a new place for DPS librarians to access resources and share and swipe best practices.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> [|Brush Schools] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> a "curriculum management system wiki" ([|Miguel Guhlin])

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Don't miss these examples done by your peers-of-the-past <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Former Student Work

=<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Let's Learn How to Do This =


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//**Topic**// ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//Creating your wiki (you're on the web!)// ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//The settings in your wiki// ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//Editing features// ||
 * * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//toolbar// ||
 * * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//font changes// ||
 * * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//bullets and the separation line// ||
 * * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//linking// ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//Inserting// ||
 * * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//documents and graphics// ||
 * * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//a new page// ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//The Navigation Bar// ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//A jazz session with widgets// ||

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://www.widgetbox.com/ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://widgets.yahoo.com/search/new <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://www.widgipedia.com/ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://www.dashboardwidgets.com/showcase/details.php?wid=137 <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://www.yourminis.com/ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">. || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://gettingtrickywithwikis.wikispaces.com/ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">. || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">[|http://21stcenturyteaching.pbwiki.com/JAZZ up your Wiki] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">//**Other Cool Stuff to Know**// ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Thousands of widgets to put on your wiki:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Some cool stuff to do on your wiki (qualifies as widgets):
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Great fonts, a counter, and a wonderful newspaper inclusion:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Did you forget something?

=<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">You Try It Now (homework) =

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">OK, create your wiki!

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Here are some things to know and do:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">1. Make sure you get rid of the ads!

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">2. Bear in mind that EVERYTHING you make in class will be included;

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">3. You can have anything you want on your classroom wiki, but the framework ** must include **, at a minimum, the following:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">a. Engaging and exciting front page (one that gives the message of what your classroom is all about!). Leave room for a Blabberize that introduces the site (what you need to know is that is an audio introduction of your website, but you do NOT need to do it now.;

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">b. A page called "All About Me" (or something to that extent) that introduces who you are as a teacher, a brief educational philosophy, a well-written paragraph or two reflecting your philosophy on integrating technology into your teaching and student learning, and a WHY YOU SHOULD HIRE ME component (you may choose to do this later as a digital story). This is a great place to post a resume, if you have one or are working on one;

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">c. A "Parent Information" page (to include pertinent information that you would want parents of students in your classroom to know (schedules, your policies, etc.);

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">d. A "Unit of Instruction" page (this page will include, at a minimum: your Scope and Sequence chart (embedded), COPY AND PASTE of the Unit Outline (below) to use with each of the 10 lessons you will write. DO NOT EMBED this document. You are welcome to put the lessons on ONE page (with one right after another) (example here) OR you can plan to put a link to each lesson (example here).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> [|Unit Outline-r.doc] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">(Once you have written the lesson plan, please remove the green explanatory notes of mine)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">f. A linked navigation bar (with ONLY these inclusions: Home, All About Me, Parent Information, Unit of Instruction, Cool Websites of the Week).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">4. Make sure you have some appropriate and interesting widgets.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> ** PLEASE REMEMBER ** : this wiki is something you will work on every week, not just for THIS week. So when you turn it in, ALL the content for each component do not need to be complete THIS WEEK. However, the more you do this week, the more time you can commit to the content itself.

<span style="color: #d31717; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> ** To reiterate, for the FIRST WIKI assignment: **


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Create the wiki.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Create and <span style="color: #d31717; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">begin to populate the pages. Let me try to explain "begin"--begin means that you should put something on every page--maybe just ideas you want to flesh out or some initial thoughts. It doesn't mean you need to FINISH the page, but it doesn't mean you put nothing.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Copy and paste the Unit Outline into your Unit of Instruction page.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Create and populate the navigation bar (exactly as described above).
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Be sure to open the Rubric found below so you are clear on how you will be assessed for this semester-project.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">DO NOT feel like you have to COMPLETE each and every page. OBVIOUSLY, you can't put everything in, BUT you need to get going--this is a HUGE assignment (ultimately, it is your semester project) but you should plan to work on it a little bit EVERY DAY! <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> **// This is going to be your final product in this class AND a vehicle to get a job, so this would be where you want to excel in your creativity and effort. //** Rubric for FINAL wiki assessment [|rubricunit.]

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 22.4667px;">What do I turn in?
Send me an email with your Wiki address (URL) in the signature of your email! The address of your wiki needs to be in the signature. Not sure how to do that?? Click here.