Wikis+(Intermediate)

toc == = = =Wikis (Intermediate): "Get wiki with it!"=

Overview
In this session you will be learning how to create a wiki for collaborative, project-based learning. You will create a wiki that can be used to house student created content while maintaining a safe platform for this work. The purpose of this session is for you to be able to return to your school/district to work with teachers to design wikis that can be used in their classrooms so students can become content creators, collaborators, critics and reviewers, synthesizers, and global contributors.

Time Allotted
2 hours and 15 minutes (2:45-5:00)

Goals
Participants in this session will learn to design a wiki for project-based learning that contains embedded widgets for a variety of instructional strategies within a given unit of study.

Outcomes
At the end of this session, you will be able to: - Construct a well organized wiki - Manage the wiki such that it is a safe environment for student work - Design a wiki such that student groups can collaborate while not overwriting content - Embed a variety of Web 2.0 tools within the wiki such that there are a variety of instructional strategies within a given unit of study

Content
During this session, participants will create a new wiki, design the wiki to be such that students can study a topic through content creation in a safe setting, and learn to embed various widgets for instructional purposes.

Instructional Strategy/Activities
This session will be a working session using a model where you will watch a skill being completed by the facilitator, practice the skill, and then use the skill on the wiki you are designing.

Resources
PC or .mac, a browser (preferably FireFox), and a Wikispaces account (http://www.wikispaces.com) - free for educators.

Evaluation
Be prepared to share your wiki at the end of the session.

Introduction (20 minutes)
1. First, we will explore several wikis to see how they are organized for PBL (project-based learning)

Food for thought: - How are the wikis organized (interface is everything)? - Are students sorted into groups and working on different pages? - What role is the instructor playing on the wiki? - Are there Web 2.0 tools integrated in the wiki?

Social Studies Class (whole year with PBL embedded) - http://driscoll-class.wikispaces.com/

General Science (whole year with PBL embedded) - http://ca7science.wikispaces.com/

Global Collaboration- Technology (Award Winning) - http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com/

Part 1 (20 minutes)
A. Begin by creating your own wiki in Wikispaces (http://www.wikispaces.com)- you should already have an account so you will sign in to Wikispaces, go to your account, and create a new wiki. Give it a domain name such as "TLI-Todd". Make sure to choose the "Plus" plan and to request a K-12 free wiki.
 * I. Creating your Wikispace**





Enter the URL to your wiki

include component="comments" page="Wikis (Intermediate)" limit="25"

B. Now you should take 5-10 minutes to give the wiki the look and feel that you like. Go to "Manage Wiki">"Look and Feel" and change the template and colors. You can also change the logo, etc. Make sure to save your changes.
 * II. Designing the "look and feel"**


 * III. "Lock the wiki down." for safety**


 * 1) Select **Manage Wiki**.
 * 2) Under Settings, select **Subscription**.
 * 3) Scroll to the bottom of the page and follow the **Request Your Free Upgrade Now** link.



D. All students will need a wikispace account so that they can sign into the site. We will not do this now.
 * IV. Create Student Accounts**
 * 1) Select **Manage Wiki**.
 * 2) Under People, select **User Creator**.
 * 3) Choose the wiki you would like to add the users to.
 * 4) Enter your list of users as text, or upload an excel or .csv file with usernames and passwords. Email addresses aren't required to create accounts. Keep in mind that every Wikispaces username must be unique. Try using numbers, or initials, or a first name-last name combination to create unique usernames.
 * 5) The User Creator will guide you through the process of setting up your accounts. If you have any questions, send us an email at help@wikispaces.com



1. Create a free wiki. 2. Apply a well designed "Look and Feel" to your wiki 3. Lock your wiki down for the safety of your students 4. Create student accounts with usernames and passwords
 * Check your skills. Can you: **

Part 2 (30 minutes)
A. For now, choose a topic that you are familiar with in any discipline. Examples might be: "Revolutionary War" for US History, "Cell Biology" for Biology, "Basic Statistics" for math, "Shakespeare" for English/L.A. B. Create a homepage with a unique image and a brief introduction to the unit (just a few sentences). C. Next, design your navigation bar. Add the following to your navigation bar: Home, Instructions, Group Pages, Resources. Link each one of these pages, effectively creating a new page for each.
 * I. Decide on your unit of study**

D. Now go to your "Instructions" page. This is where you will describe to your students what you would like them to do for the unit of study. Add headings here such as: Introduction, Objectives, Activity, and Rubric.
 * II. Create a brief instructional plan (NCSCOS)**

E. Go to "Group Pages" and create a listing of groups such as Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, Group 4, etc.
 * III. Create student group pages**

F. Go to "Manage Wiki" and choose "Templates". Now you will create a template for your student groups to complete. G. Make a template that corresponds to your instructional plan. You need to format this carefully and provide your student groups with a workspace where they can be creative but organized. For now we will use this TEMPLATE. Use this page for your template page. Save it. H. Now go to your "Group Pages" page and apply the template to each individual group. To do so, create a link to each group page (this makes a page for it). Next, choose each group page link and apply the template and save the page.
 * IV. Create a template for the group pages**

1. Design an instructional plan 2. Create group pages 3. Create and apply a template.
 * Check your skills. Can you: **

Part 3 (30 minutes)
A. Go to one of your group pages. You will use this page to see what it would be like for students as a group to complete an instructional plan on a unit by using widgets, etc. You will effectively become the content creator (the student). Apply the template to your page.
 * I. Adding widgets to your pages**

1. Add an RSS feed 2. Add a video 3. Add a Google Form (formative assessment) 4. Add audio 5. Add a discussion area 6. Add a Google map




 * Check your skills. Can you add the widgets above and complete the template? **

Part 4 (20 minutes)

 * Discussion and Sharing**