Recent Changes

What kind of acceptable use policy will be set forth for the use of a Wiki?
What kind of risks are involved in using a Wiki?
involved in thiertheir child's progress
Wiki is a great tool a school TechnologyPlan.Technology Plan. The TP

What kind of risks are involved in using a Wiki?
How can a Wiki keep parents involved in thier child's progress in your classroom?
Wiki is great tool for completing a school TechnologyPlan. The TP often requires input from many different individuals in the school system.

Welcome to our Wiki:
Using 21st CenturyWikis as Tools in
How can a teacher effectively use a Wiki to impact student learning?
What kind of acceptable use policy will be set forth for the use of a Wiki?

Jenni,
Welcome to our Wiki! While I have worked with them a little in the past, I hope this experience will help us both discover ways to make use of 21st Century technologies in our classrooms. I will be looking forward to your thoughts and our plans.
MelissaMelissa
Jennie,
It is great to be able to add to a document just as if you'd handed me a paper and pencil and said, "write something for me". I found this document on planning for 21st century schools. I think it is a realistic approach to planning.
http://www.thethinkingstick.com/files/planning-for-21st-century-technologies.pdf
{planningIT.JPG}
Melissa,
I
I think I or project.
Jenni
Melissa,
Here is a good article to review for using Wikis in the classroom. A few quotes are listed below. **II edited the
http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/10/20/wikis-pulling-it-all-together-online.aspx?sc_lang=en
pertinent information.
The same process works for collaborative, group projects, which are often difficult to manage and share. A team of four students who are working on a volcano project, for example, can log onto the wiki and use it as a place to post and/or answer research questions among each other. Both teacher and parents can monitor the project's progress, see each student's contribution, and offer feedback and help where needed."
Jenni
Melissa's Reflections
I had seen Wikis before, but I don't think I had ever explored the real possibilities of them. Upsides are that they are versatile, always available, and can be customized in a number of ways to meet the needs of users. Furthermore, there are applications for Wikis at all grade levels, and users do not have to be highly tech-savvy. In addition to this, the growth experiences for students and professionals are numberless in areas that touch the highest levels of Bloom's Taxonomy: creating, collaborating, and problem-solving. On the other hand, Wikis are new and potentially frightening forums for teachers and students. The temptation to underuse them or force use with artificial and unauthentic tasks is very real. Users of Wikis must also be willing and able to use appropriate judgment and etiquette. Otherwise, a Wiki could become just another arena for cyberbullying. There is a great need for careful monitoring of Wikis used by students, and this fact could inhibit timid teachers. I, however, am not timid. I look forward to rising to the challenge of using Wikis in my classroom as learning tools that are melded seamlessly into the curriculum.
Jenni's Reflections
Because I am new to Wikis, I had a lot of conerns about how they could be implemented in the classroom. After working with Melissa and investigating how Wikis work, I do believe they can be beneficial in the classroom setting. The biggest advantages that I see include
Students taking control and responsibilty of their own learning
Collaborative learning (students and teachers)
Versatile applications (all subjects/curricula)
Development of critical thinking skills
Gives students a chance to edit and reflect upon thier own work
The only real disadvantages I can see would be concerns over students following internet use policies and using appropriate language in their comments and additions to their Wikis. I do plan to use Wikis in my classroom and help other faculty do the same.

Mr. Lindsay's Class Wiki
Eight Ways to Use School Wikis
Educational Wikis: How to Use in the Classroom

Individual Assessment Projects
I have noticed that we can also add widgets, and they are new to me so I will be exploring this. I see them in other folks' Wiki's, but I have yet to learn how to find and add them to ours. I did start a Wiki in my classroom this week to help my students with their research project. I will let you know how it goes with middle school students who have special needs.
Melissa
Melissa's Reflections
I had seen Wikis before, but I don't think I had ever explored the real possibilities of them. Upsides are that they are versatile, always available, and can be customized in a number of ways to meet the needs of users. Furthermore, there are applications for Wikis at all grade levels, and users do not have to be highly tech-savvy. In addition to this, the growth experiences for students and professionals are numberless in areas that touch the highest levels of Bloom's Taxonomy: creating, collaborating, and problem-solving. On the other hand, Wikis are new and potentially frightening forums for teachers and students. The temptation to underuse them or force use with artificial and unauthentic tasks is very real. Users of Wikis must also be willing and able to use appropriate judgment and etiquette. Otherwise, a Wiki could become just another arena for cyberbullying. There is a great need for careful monitoring of Wikis used by students, and this fact could inhibit timid teachers. I, however, am not timid. I look forward to rising to the challenge of using Wikis in my classroom as learning tools that are melded seamlessly into the curriculum.

I wanted to include a list of websites that can be visited to see how Wiki's are being used in classrooms across grade levels and locations. Please feel free to review and comment on these as well as add new ones.
http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis -Examples of Educational Wikis A to Z
How I Use Wikis In the Classroom by Vicky Davis
Wiki in a K-12 Classroom
Make Way for Wikis
Tom Fredrick's ELA Teaching Wiki
Mr. Lindsay's Class Wiki
Eight Ways to Use School Wikis

I wanted to include a list of websites that can be visited to see how Wiki's are being used in classrooms across grade levels and locations. Please feel free to review and comment on these as well as add new ones.
http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis -

Jenni
Jenni,
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2005/12/wiki-wiki-teaching-art-of-using-wiki.html .
I asked them to post meaningful, relevant information on their topic.
I asked them to summarize information they found on the Net and to link to it.
I asked them to use some of the websites that they read about.
They were not allowed to delete information of another unless it was redundant or they paraphrased/edited it to make it better. (I had two classes working on the same pages so they could experience true collaboration.)
I was talking with another teacher who is much more tech savvy than I am, and he envisions the ideal classroom and the collaborative enterprises on which they could embark. I will have to share some of our conversation with you on a different page.
I also tapped http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Classroom+Wikis ):
Lesson Summaries
Collaboration of Notes
Dissemination of Important Classroom Learning Beyond the Classroom
Individual Assessment Projects
special needs.

Wikis in Planning
I love your epiphany. I can see this type of technology enabling true collaboration that is not bound by the confines of time and space. I have often wished that I could get back together with my college cohort and share ideas and struggles like we did when we were going through ECU together. With Wiki's this is possible.

I have been thinking about all those PLT meetings that I am unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts, meetings, and other incidentals. If we could plan on a Wiki, I could benefit from and contribute to those PLT's.

I want to know your experiences when you pioneer the multi-school collaboration effort. I will be trying to talk to my principal and technology facilitator about trying to set up Wiki's for content areas at our school.