A wiki is a collaborative website that allows its members to share, add, and modify information. This web page provides the owner with the opportunity to create an open, collaborative web page, limit the web page to members needing permission to modify the site, or design a closed web page that presents information to its viewers.
Things to consider when choosing a wiki provider:
- User accounts (so your name is automatically attached to all changes you make).
- Membership options/upgrades available.
- Page history and stored revisions (not all wikis have this, but it can be an important feature-especially with students).
- Document attachments-is this allowed?
- Page edit locking (you don't want two people editing a page at the same time, as one will lose their changes).
- An easy-to-remember syntax.
- Is it user friendly? Easy to navigate?
Where can you create a wiki?
Wikispaces offers free accounts with many of the features listed above.
Here is a quick video explaining what wikis are and how they can be used in a group.
Sample Wiki
Here is a rubric for editing a wiki.
Here are 30 open wikis every educator should see.
This is a wiki that teaches you how to use a wiki and gives elementary and secondary examples.
The best educational wikis of 2011.
Here is a video tour of the #mathchat (twitter) wiki.
How will you use wikis?
My students already utilize a classroom website, blog, and google docs account which have similar features and functions of a wiki? Can a wiki be used in place of some of these? What are the some of the benefits of using a wiki over having a website, blog, and google docs account? Can I eliminate having so many different sites and merge them all into a wiki?
ReplyDeleteDo any of your students complain that they cannot access your website, blog, and/or google docs account because they do not have a computer at home?
DeleteOn occasion a student will complain that they can not access the blog, I have told them to download google chrome at home and that seems to eliminate the issue in most cases. One problem that I have had is parents not wanting their child to be involved with blogging. Before I started my class blog, I had students bring home a consent form and sometimes parents opt out.
DeleteOne word of caution when using a wiki. You may have limited storage space on the free versions.
ReplyDeleteWebs and Wikis are places that students can design and use to independently work on uploading,creating and arranging data.
ReplyDeleteIf you have students working on Google docs they have the ability to collaborate on a document at the same time. It is wonderful for them to see their friends editing as well as themselves. Students can also communicate by blogging while they work.
Prezi is another wonderful Web 2.0 application. The student who started the Wiki can invite other students to work on the Wiki by inviting them to a meeting. They do this by e-mailing the student a link. The students who have been invited have their own avatar with their name on it. You can see each persons avatar running around on the page getting work done. It's a hoot. The kids love it!
Can you tell me the Avatar site? Thanks!!
Deletehttp://www.voki.com/ Have fun!!
DeleteAnyone have luck with using a wiki in a math classroom?
ReplyDeleteIf you have enough internet connected devices and want to create a temporary space for you and your class to communicate in. Try TodaysMeet.com. You can set up a place to chat from 2 hours to a year. You can also print the transcript.
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DeleteI've used a Wiki to collaborate on a group project virtually? What are some other uses of a Wiki? In my math classroom I can visualize students blogging, but I'm not sure how useful a Wiki will be? Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great way for small groups of students to collaborate when working on a group project!!
ReplyDeleteA wiki is also a great way to make handouts and instruction sheets available online. I uploaded a few instructional videos but they took up to much memory.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to my Wiki. You can see some of the files and clips.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.humanntech.pbwiki.com
Is this similar to having your own webpage? Are there many more capabilities with the wiki vs your own webpage?
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ReplyDeleteDoes anyone use Wiki in a science classroom?
ReplyDeleteI used one perhaps three years ago for one year--we were creating photostories using photostory three and I needed a way for students to be able to research, save their work and access it from home. It worked as advertised--I had a few problems with students deleting work 'inadvertently' but I was able to restore the deletions (I used pbwiki, now called pbworks I believe).
DeleteI've since moved on to using edmodo--not a wiki, more of a social network for teaching.
Do groups of students normally create their own Wiki or work within a classroom Wiki?
ReplyDeleteBoth. Teachers can make all kinds of information and resources available to their students. Many students collaborate on PBLs with wikis or use them to support individual projects. They can be organized like a paper by pages. The pages can cover all kinds of information a teacher is asking for. They can link to great info, videos, import pictures etc. to support their content.
DeleteCan a Wiki just have pictures? With my student who are non-readers, that may work.
ReplyDeleteKristen-yes you can!
ReplyDeleteI love Wiki! I just started using it this year, thanks to an MTEA workshop. I think it is easier to edit than a blog. I have used mine for a various reasons: class discussion, post PBLs, weekly activities.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite feature is the ability to upload documents. My students each have their own page on my class wiki. On their page they can upload any work they published for an eportfolio. I will let you know how it works out.
ReplyDeleteWikis are a great way to share info with other classes and students. They are great for group projects.
ReplyDeleteIn order to block the glass panels on the ITV room for security purposes, I got the idea of a library themed art project that would be student-created and also 'shade' the open glass from outside view. You are welcome to come by and look if you wish. At any rate, we used a wiki to post the instructions and dimensions and to share ideas. I had one of my interns with graphic art experience collaborate with me on this project. To be honest, she and I made more entries to the wikis than the students, who preferred e-mailing us and one another. Nevertheless, it was a good central spot for organizing and accessing the necessary information.
ReplyDeleteUsing wikis is a fabulous opportunity to extend student collaboration.
ReplyDeletegreat way to organize ideas and collaborate on a specific topic
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