How many of you have used www.wikipedia.org before? Have you seen your students use it to get information? Did you know Wikipedia is the largest Wiki in the world? Anyone (even you) can contribute to the website and update any topic.
What is a Wiki???
A wiki is a collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content. It is the best way to promote collaboration and host one central place for everyone in a group to work together. There are many websites that have been created to allow anyone to create a wiki. My personal favorite is www.pbworks.com because you can sign up for a FREE educator site and have a PASSWORD PROTECTED site for your class to use. PBworks also allows you to create student accounts without email! The great thing about wiki’s is that they are accessible ONLINE, so your students can access them at home, or in China for that matter! J (As long as they have an Internet connection, of course!)
Still confused? Watch this –
What to learn more? Visit these sites…
http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom – Integration ideas
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2006/08/how-i-use-wikis-what-do-you-do.html – more integration ideas
http://jesseportfolio.wikispaces.com – Student E-portfolio example using wiki’s
OR…talk to these teachers in the district who are using them!
Chelsea Faase, Steph Albers, Sheila Kohl, ME! (All of these sites are password protected. You will have to ask the teacher for permission to enter if you would like to see what they are doing with them.)
Here is a PowerPoint presentation that I created to introduce wiki’s to my students – http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhdzmvsd_86dvsv7bgv You are more than welcome to use it if you need it.
Did you know??? A handful of us attended the TIES Convention in Minneapolis on Monday and Tuesday. The TIES Convention uses a wiki to allow all of the presenters to upload their presentation materials. YOU HAVE ACCESS!!! If you would like to look through some of the topics and explore some of the materials, go ahead! The web address is – http://wiki.ties.k12.mn.us/2009+Sessions
