Creating+a+Classroom+Wiki

Contributing Teacher(s): Donna Baker
Resources: Wikispaces Account, Mobile lab, Student email account group list, online and text resources related to course content

ISTE Technology:

 * **2.** || **Communication and Collaboration** ||
 * || Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: ||
 * a. |||||| interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. ||
 * b. |||| communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. ||

Introduction/Problem:
Students love to create products and publish them on the Internet. Creating a classroom wiki to which students contribute content knowledge and publish products that demonstrate content knowledge gives them a place to showcase work and understanding, while allowing the teacher to maintain control of the space.

Procedures:
Link student pages to main wiki pages to organize the space as planned.
 * Create Your Wikispace:**
 * 1) Go to www.wikispaces.com
 * 2) Create an account and create a new wiki. Choose a name that is descriptive and will be easily remembered, as it will become part of the URL for the site. Choose to create a Protected wiki so that only you, your students, and whomever else you invite may edit the wiki, and be sure to choose K-12 Education as wiki type. Click create.
 * 3) Customize your Home page to include the purpose of your wiki and any other information that you would like for all visitors to your wiki to see first. This might include a description of how and why the wiki is being used in your classroom, the main objectives of the class, etc.
 * 4) Click on Manage Wiki. Go to Settings and choose Look and Feel. Choose the "look" that you would like for your wiki. Once you have made your choices and customized colors, etc. as needed click Apply at the bottom.
 * 5) To change the Logo on your page, go to Manage Wiki, Settings, Look and Feel, logo. You may have to resize your image. You may use iPhoto on Mac, GIMP on your PC, or a web based program such as Picnik. Save as a JPG, Gif, or png, bowse, and Save.
 * 6) Decide how your wikispace will be organized and create the main pages you will use. You may have a main page for each unit or for each topic on which you will ask students to provide content. These main pages will be added to your Navigation Menu and linked automatically.
 * Create a Template for your Students to use. (This can be done for each project)**
 * 1) Go to Manage Wiki.
 * 2) Click on Templates.
 * 3) Name your Template. (Make sure the topic is clear in the template name.)
 * 4) Click on Create Template.
 * 5) Create the scaffold you wish for your students to use on the resulting page. Remember that they will be filling in specifics, and they will be able to make modifications on their page. This is a great way to make sure they include all components that are included in your rubric.
 * Invite Students to Join the Wiki and Create their Page.**
 * 1) Consider having students log onto their epals account and sending you an email a day or so before you plan to complete this step in class. Add the student emails to your address book and create group(s). (Middle and High school teachers may want an email group/list for each class periods for other purposes, too!)
 * 2) Go to Manage Wiki, People, Invite People.
 * 3) Copy the emails of students into the space provided. Send invitation.
 * 4) Have students log in to epals account, open invitation from Wikispaces, and click on link to join the wiki and create accounts. They will click on Join this Wiki.
 * 5) Be very clear with your students about what you wish their Username to be. You may choose to have them include class period, first name, last initial, etc. but you will not want them to use both first and last names. (Think about making it easy for you to know who a student is while keeping a stranger who landed on your wikispace from being able to identify the student!) Have them create Usernames and Passwords.
 * 6) Have ONE student from each group Click on NEW PAGE.
 * 7) Lead students through Naming page, selecting template, and entering tags. Once the page is created, allow students to begin their work.
 * After the Lesson:**

Student Product/Work:
Example

Enrichment/Reteaching:
Provide content and technology help as needed and/or ideas for increasing the rigor of the page content based on student abilities.