What  is A Wiki?

A Wiki is a read/write web resource that offers comparative benefits to students needing to collaborate in the creation of joint documents, and offers benefits to instructors wanting insights into the respective contributions (or non-contributions) of students in assigned groups. The Wiki software application also keeps record of past versions of created webpage’s and tracks changes which users make to the site.

A wiki is a collaborativewebsite which can be directly edited by anyone with access to it. Ward Cunningham, developer of the first wiki WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as “the simplest online database that could possibly work”. One of the best-known wikis is Wikipedia. WikiWikiWeb was the first site to be called a wiki. Ward Cunningham started developing WikiWikiWeb in 1994, and installed it on Internet domain c2.com on March 25, 1995. It was named by Cunningham, who remembered a Honolulu International Airport counter employee telling him to take the so-called “Wiki Wiki” Chance RT-52 shuttle bus linethat runs between the airport’s terminals. According to Cunningham, “I chose wiki-wiki as an alliterative substitute for ‘quick’ and thereby avoided naming this stuff quick-web.” Wiki Wiki is a reduplication of wiki, a Hawaiian-languageword for fast.

• A collection of websites of hypertext, each of them can be visited and edited by anyone. “Wiki wiki” means “rapidly” in the Hawaiian language.
• An online collaboration model and tool that allows any user to edit some content of webpage’s through a simple browser.
• A wiki  is a web application that allows users to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also allows anyone to edit the content. Wiki also refers to the collaborative software used to create such a website (see pbwiki software)

Great resource to further your knowledge on Web 2.0 http://web2tutorial.wikispaces.com/

Creating A Classroom Wiki

A wiki is a great place for students to collaborate on projects and is the foundation interface for content development. To get started just open an account and begin by selecting a thematic name for your wiki site. As a teacher you can assign each student their own page on which they can posthole information for an in-depth study on assigned content. Teachers can construct a resource page where you store support information for your thematic unit, give alternative assignments that reinforce classroom content or assign students a page where they can create information collaboratively as a team.

You can assign separate pages for students, write book reviews, and create a classroom newsletter reporting their project progress. Additional pages can be developed to collect hyperlinks that enhance the curriculum, a social studies page with text and  images with geographical locations using Google Earth and a math real world story problem page (with answers). You can also create a page where students post their writing and responses or provide teacher notes on topics currently being discussed in the classroom. Another idea is to create a class picture book showing students actively engaged in creating and learning on their collaborative projects.

To keep the privacy of your classroom activities from being viewed by the outside world, you have the security capabilities to lock and unlock pages, as well as to decide what parts of your wiki will be protected by read or write permissions.  PBWiki also has built in plug-ins to create widgets that you can add embedded codes to store videos, polls, slide shows, calendars, podcast rss feeds, music, and documents.  To get started with a classroom wiki just simply  divide your class into groups of 4-6 students.  Assign each group one page to create and another to edit. Encourage everyone to help on any page.  To learn more about setting up collaborative classroom wiki projects continue visiting Tech N TuIt for upcoming articles and suggested activities for enhancing Literacy 2.0.

 Wikis in Plain English by CommonCraft on the Common Craft

Edmondo

Edmodo is a private micro-blogging platform built for use by teachers and students to promote Web 2.0 applications in the classroom. Traditional web 2.0 tools in a k-12 classroom environment have been concerned over privacy of student uses and their work being exposed to worldwide viewers. Edmodo is specifically built with the privacy of students in mind. The primary function of Edmodo is to provide ways for teachers and students to share classroom notes, links, and files. Teachers also have the ability to send, alerts, events, and assignments to students. The application is structured so that privacy is the default function but also includes a public component built in to allow teachers the discretion to post any item to a public time line at the teacher's discretion. To learn more about the applications and functions of this product use the referring links below:

·         Teacher Sign Up

·         Create a group

·         Student Sign Up

·         Posting to Edmodo

·         Replying to a post

·         Post management

·         Group management

·         Assignments and Grading

·         Settings

·         Calendar

·         Public Pages

PBWorks Presentation Materials

• PBworksPresentation.ppt
• PBworksCalendar.pdf
• PBworksChat.pdf
• securityhandout.pdf
• WhatisaPBworks.doc