WIKISPACES BASICS

By Martin SteinACED46803/9/2012

OBJECTIVES1. On a computer with internet access the student

will be able to view a Wiki web site in a subject they are passionate about, and be able to find one on their own every time they look for a Wiki.

2. In a computer lab classroom the student will be able to identify what a Wiki is? How people use them? With 100% accuracy on a written test.

3. In a computer lab classroom the student will understand that there are rules and guidelines to be followed when developing a Wiki. Be able to match the function to the rule or guideline on a test with 80% accuracy.

THINK ABOUT IT? Have you ever visited a web site? Did you like it’s appearance? Did you want to change it? Did you like it’s content? Did you want to add to or change it’s

content? Have you ever wanted to make your own

web site about a subject you are passionate about?

Well now you can and you will right here in class during this Unit!

WHAT IS A WIKI It is a living collaboration whose purpose is

the sharing of the creative process and product by many.

One famous example is Wiki-pedia,

What is a Wiki? How can it be used?

GETTING STARTING Right click and choose open hyper link to go t

o:www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/

HOW DO WE USE A WIKI Teachers use them to provide information to

their student over the internet.

Hobbyist use Wiki to provide a forum for others to post content about want they like to do.

Professionals use them to collaborate on projects, with people from around the world.

DIFFERENT SUBJECTS AND IDEAS Teachers can make up Wiki with and include

a page for each subject they teach.

Students can create a Wiki about any subject they are passionate about and can include anyone they want to or exclude anyone, or include everyone.

The Ideas for a Wiki are endless !!!

CONNECTIONS AND COMMUNICATION Stimulate discussion and metacognition . Help students articulate issues about ownership,

finding, different conceptualizations of the same content.

Students use synthesis and evaluation constantly and consistently when they work on a Wiki.

Develop interpersonal and communication skills, especially consensus-building and compromise, in an environment where the product motivates interpersonal problem-solving.

Develop true teamwork skills.

CREATIVITY Build creativity skills, especially elaboration

and fluency.

Build creative flexibility in accepting others’ edits!

Encourage “hitch-hiking” on ideas (a type of creative elaboration and analytical thinking).

Introduce and reinforce the idea that a creative piece as never “done.”

WRITING SKILLS

Improve the most challenging phase of writing process: Revision! Revision! Revision!

Increase flexibility to consider other ways of saying things.

Build an awareness of a wider, more authentic audience.

BASIC DECISIONS Before you start your Wiki make some basic

decisions:1. How do you envision using the Wiki? 2. Who will be able to see the Wiki? Who will be able

to edit the Wiki? 3. Who will be able to join the Wiki? What parts of the

Wiki will you  “protect” (lock from changes)?4. Who will moderate the Wiki for appropriateness,

etc?5. Who will have the ability to reset changes?6. Will you, as the teacher, be notified of all changes?7. Will the Wiki have Individual or global

memberships?

ADMINISTRATION Once you an envision how your Wiki will work and

be used, You want to find out the following: Is it permissible to post student work to web? What is the policy on posting student names

(initials? pseudonyms?) What is the policy on posting pictures of

students or class scenes? What is the policy on posting any information

that might identify the Wiki class? Can these policies be met through security

settings, parent and student agreements?

APPEARANCE Simple customization options to adjust the

appearance, such as uploading an image or choosing colors or themes.

COST, SECURITY Cost: Free Security : Protect certain pages from changes

(find out how to LOCK pages). This prevents accidental erasures. See Manage Space or page options/settings.

Set the entire Wiki to private view (visible and editable only by members) if this is your school's policy. See Manage Space or Wiki Options/Settings.

Set the entire Wiki to protected or member-only editing, if you wish to prevent non-student visitors from making changes. See Manage Space or Wiki Options/Settings.

PARENTAL CONCERNS The best ways to get parents excited about

your Wiki are to inform them and to include them.

Prior to giving students access to the Wiki, send home a letter and permission slip with all students (and give points for a signed permission slip). The letter should tell parents what the Wiki is for and how well their student will be protected by the safety features you have in place.

Involve parents in understanding the Wiki by providing a parent page or area where they can comment or share experiences..

VANDALISM VS. EDITING Students will be students, and at least one is bound to

"vandalize" another student's work on your class Wiki. As the Wiki owner, you have the ability to rewind

history and take the Wiki back to a prior state, as well Since the Wiki will often involve changing work done

by others, it is especially important that you have an open discussion about the difference between "vandalizing" and making changes to improve the content. A change intended for the good will always include some written "discussion" of the reasoning behind the change.

Be sure that all students know who is responsible for various sections of the Wiki to avoid any "accidental" changes to another student or group's work.

WIKI DESIGN PRINCIPLES Simple - easier to use than abuse. A Wiki is easy to use and permission help

to prevent abuse. Open - Should a page be found to be incomplete or poorly organized, any

reader can edit it as they see fit. Incremental - Pages can cite other pages, including pages that have not been

written yet. Organic - The structure and text content of the site are open to editing and

evolution. Universal - The mechanisms of editing and organizing are the same as those

of writing, so that any writer is automatically an editor and organizer. Overt - The formatted (and printed) output will suggest the input required to

reproduce it. Unified - Page names will be drawn from a flat space so that no additional

context is required to interpret them. Precise - Pages will be titled with sufficient precision to avoid most name

clashes, typically by forming noun phrases. Tolerant - Interpretable (even if undesirable) behavior is preferred to error

messages. Observable - Activity within the site can be watched and reviewed by any

other visitor to the site. Convergent - Duplication can be discouraged or removed by finding and

citing similar or related content.

ADDITION PRINCIPLES Trust - This is the most important thing in a Wiki. Trust the

people, trust the process, enable trust-building. Everyone controls and checks the content. Wiki relies on the assumption that most readers have good intentions. 

Fun - Everybody can contribute; nobody has to. Sharing - of information, knowledge, experience, ideas,

views... Comments: Interaction - This enables guest interaction. Collaboration - We believe that this could make a good

collaboration tool, both synchronously and asynchronously. Platforms - We like the cross-platform implications. Social Networks - Its power for supporting collaboration

is great. It is FUN - It is very easy and fun.

PBWORKS Strengths:

Free for a basic account that includes one workspace and 2GB storage.

A basic account also allows classroom accounts to connect to the workspace.

It allows for basic e-mail support. Each workspace is similar to a Wiki. Allows you to have a “parent outreach” section where you can

post assignments and material from the classroom. You can connect to other classrooms throughout the world. You can create a private Wiki/blog to keep out those unwanted

visitors. Invite parents to join by giving them an invite key.

Weaknesses Only allows 100 users to connect to your workspace. Basic account does not allow for backup of your material. To have full customization you have to pay $99 per year. You have to manually filter out the junk.

SUMMARY How do we use a Wiki Subjects Wiki Ideas Connections and Communication Creativity Writing Skills Basic Decisions Administrator Appearance Cost Security Parental Concerns Vandalism vs. Editing