Wikis What are Wikis Could this be a

Wikis

What are Wikis? • Could this be a Wiki? • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=GL 3 wnv Mo. T 0 E

What wikis really are: • Wikis are a collection of web pages that provide a free online writing space. Wikis make collaboration simple by allowing anyone with access to the wiki to contribute to the wiki without having knowledge of HTML. • The collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia is one of the best-known wikis. • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Zm. By. B 0 s. IPog&feature=related

Why use a Wiki ? • Wikis provide a different, free, fun space for writing. • Wikis provide an effective, efficient way for students to collaborate on group projects. • Wikis provide a history allowing users to monitor wiki entries and to check for participation and progress. • Wikis provide a space to share ideas.

What can you do with a wiki in your classroom. • • • Literature circles Book reviews Research projects Group study guides Vocabulary lists Author studies Journals A travelogue from a field trip Procedures for math problems Debates on class topics The possibilities are endless.

Are wikis difficult to use? • Wikis are surprisingly simple to use. This video demonstrates just how painless it is to wiki. • Wikis in Plain English: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=dn. L 00 Tdm. LY

Getting started with wikis is easy. • Choose a wiki space. Here a few possibilities: • Writing Wiki is a free online writing spaces for college students or others who love writing. Because it's a fairly new site, Writing Wiki does not attract significant numbers of readers. Writing Wiki sponsors student writing and original research. • Wikipedia • Wikibooks • Teaching Wiki is a free space for teachers to brainstorm about pedagogy, research, and theory. • Wikispaces: provides a simple interface, a visual page editor, and a focus on community collaboration • PB Works (named for its simplicity) says that working with their wikis is “as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich. ” http: //pbwiki. com/? utm_campaign=wiki-link •

Lets create a wiki using PB Works. (Activity one) • Find an available computer. • Perform a Google search for PB Works. • Once you are on the PB Works site choose “create and account” and create an account using an email address (or addresses) that you can access immediately. • Once you have created an account you will need to check for an email conformation. • Follow the directions on the conformation email and you will be returned to PB Works.

Creating a wiki continued… • You may be prompted to supply another email address. • Follow the steps/directions until you are on this page. (I will be demonstrating the steps using a Smart board. I will have the appropriate page on the Smart board for choosing the type of wiki needed. ) • Choose the free basic educational wiki.

Creating a wiki for book ranking. • The wiki you will be creating today will initially be used for rating books that your class may be reading. • Follow the directions to set up your wiki including: naming the wiki and adding all of the students in your class as writers for this wiki. • I will walk around answer any questions that you may have.

Posting and linking on your new Wiki. (Activity two. ) • • Click “edit” in the top left corner. Type the words “Book ranking. ” Click save. Now click edit again and highlight the words “Book rating. ” • Locate the symbol that looks like a small globe and a chain link on the tool bar. • Click on the symbol to create a link to another page.

Linking on the wiki continued…. • Clicking the on the globe will bring up a box in which you will choose where you want to link to. • Choose new page, and give the new page the name “The grade you teach + Book Rating” in the next box. • example: (3 rd Grade Book Rating) • Click ok • This will open up your new page already in the edit mode.

Posting on the wiki. • Type the title of the book you are going to rank on this page. • Click Save. • You have created a space for rating this book. • You may type in title of any book that you would like to rate here or students can type in any book they would like to rate here.

Creating a page to rank your book. (Activity three. ) • In the top right corner you will see “create a page. ” • Click on create a page. • Name your new page “Your name + the title of the book you will be rating. ” • Example: “Mrs. Techsavvy’s Freckle Juice Rating. ” • Click ok. • When you click ok, your new page will open in the edit mode.

Posting to the wiki. • Rate your book however you like (a scale of 1 -10, 1 -5 stars) and write a quick couple of sentences explaining your rating. • Click save. • You have created the first “book rating” for this title. • Your students may rate this book also by creating their own page for this title.

What else can you do with the wiki that you created today? • Create a space on this wiki for research projects. • Create a space on this wiki for a writer’s workshop. • Start a “story pass along” where each student adds their own section to a continuing story. • A wiki “fan club” for favorite authors. • A collaborative (tradition and customs) project with students in another country.