Think+10

Learn About Wikis and See Some Examples toc

Introduction
**W ** **hat is a Wiki**?
 * Simply, a wiki is a website that anyone can edit easily using a regular web browser. ** The first wiki was developed in 1995 by [|Ward Cunningham], who named his project after the Hawaiian word "wiki-wiki," meaning "quick." If you can use a word processor, copy and paste, and send an email attachment, you can create a wiki. A wiki site may be as basic as a single page containing information and links by one author, or as complex as [|Wikipedia], the collaborative web-based encyclopedia, containing over 9 million articles in 250 languages, written, edited and constantly updated by thousands of users. (We won't debate the merits of Wikipedia at this particular moment, but most educators will concede that it has some value as a ready reference tool, and also that it can be used as a means for teaching students to critically evaluate online information sources).



Discovery Exercise
Watch the Video entitled **//Wikis in Plain English//**

media type="custom" key="4002129"

The History stores user information along with page revisions, which allows you to easily track and evaluate user (read: //student//) contributions. A wiki's "permissions" may be set to **Public**, **Protected** or **Private.** **Public** - Anyone can view and edit the pages; **Protected** - Anyone can view the pages, but only approved members may edit **pages**; **Private** - Only approved members (who are logged in) can view or edit the pages. A wiki site includes the ability to //track page changes// via email or an RSS feed. That's how Wikipedia vandalism/errors are corrected so quickly! Most wikis include a **Discussion feature** for each page, allowing users to leave comments or discuss page contents. Wikis use a very simple coding language called "Wikitext" or "Wiki Markup" to format the text, links and other content on the pages. Most users don't need to know about that, because they can use the Visual Editor (looks like the formatting toolbar in Word) to format their pages.  Wikis encourage //shared knowledge construction//, as they are often built and edited by many users at once. Teachers and students can use wikis for publishing, organizing, and sharing virtually any kind of information – professional, creative or academic. Wikis are democratic tools that, implemented effectively, can enable students to take responsibility for learning outcomes, plan and make decisions, work together, publish to an audience beyond the classroom and, perhaps most importantly, teach others.
 * A Few Key Wiki Features **
 * Every version of every page is saved ** in the page History (anytime a user clicks **Save**), so it's easy to track changes and compare page versions. You can easily revert to an "old" page version if information is accidentally lost or changed in an unwanted way.
 * Why Wikis in Education?**

Check out a few (2-3) of the "educational" wikis below. Explore their organization and content. As you look at the sites, consider how you might use a wiki to support student learning and/or your own teaching or professional goals. **Before you get started, read the task below, so you know what your blog post will require.**
 * At its simplest, a wiki is a //really easy// way to make a website.** At its most robust, a wiki is a collaborative, participatory, living, evolving content repository. (Of course, the quality of the content is what matters). Wikis can be used to support classroom learning, professional development, collaborative document writing, planning and resource-building. **Essentially, a wiki is anything you want it to be.**

**1001 Flat World Tales** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">- An ongoing global writing workshop emphasizing peer editing and revision. The challenge: "You are a modern Scheherazade. You must tell an 'amazing' story that keeps your King interested in order to stay alive. You will have an advantage over Scheherezade, though: you can draft and revise your story until the 'King' -- three or four of your classmates -- judge your story is good enough to allow you to survive." <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Code Blue** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Sixth grade students learning about the human body open their own online "medical clinic." <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Discovery Utopias** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Middle school students answer "all of the great questions" of society (What is the role of government, What is the responsibility of the individual, etc.) and come to a collaborative consensus about what a society truly needs in order to reach for perfection and sustainability. Click the <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: blue; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">Discovery Utopias <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> link at the bottom of the navigation area (just above the visitor map) to view the student projects. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Dr. Reich's Chemistry Wiki** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Wiki site providing resources to support high school chemistry course and to showcase student projects. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **FHS Wolves Den** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Site to support eleventh grade English and U.S. History classes. Hub for class lectures, essays, novels, projects, links, learning applications, discussions, and more. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Flat Classroom Project** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Award-winning global collaboration between high school students in U.S. and Bangladesh. Students studied and reported on each of the ten "flatteners" presented in Friedman's <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[|//The World is Flat//]//<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">, // <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> using a variety of Web 2.0 tools. This is true 21st Century collaboration. (Video: <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: blue; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">[|Flat Classroom Project Review] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">) <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Go West** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Third graders share their learning about Westward Expansion along the Oregon Trail. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Grazing for Digital Natives** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Resources for educators about using new technologies in the classroom. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> [|**Holocaust Wiki Project**] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - AP World History students create "branching stories" about families in the Holocaust. "They have to come up with realistic decision points, describe the pros and cons, address the consequences of each decision, and fill it in with a narrative that reflects their research on the Holocaust." (Click Period 1, 2, 3 or 4 at the bottom of the page to view student projects). <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> [|**Kindergarten Counting Book**] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Photos to show each number from 1 to 100. (Wetpaint now offers **ad-free** education wikis). <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> [|**Math 12V Outcomes Portfolio**] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Twelfth grade math students create an online review for the entire math curriculum. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> [|**Primary Math**] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Primary students share their math learning with students around the world. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> [|**Room 15 Wiki**] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Sixth grade classroom wiki. Includes book reviews and creative works by students, as well as class information. (Click **Sidebar** to see links to wiki sections). <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Salute to Seuss** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Elementary students celebrate Dr. Seuss by reading his books and creating an online presentation. Click **Student Gallery** to view the final projects. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Schools in the Past** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - First graders interview parents and grandparents to find out how schools have changed. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Thousands Project** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Each month, Mr. Monson's fifth grade class posts a new question, hoping to receive 1000 responses from students and visitors from around the world. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> [|**Turn Homeward, Hannalee**] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Fifth graders created a comprehensive study guide for this Civil War era historical novel. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> [|**Welker's Wikinomics**] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Award-winning project supporting the teaching of AP Economics. Be sure to check out the **Discussion Forum**. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> **Westwood Schools Computer Science** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> - Classroom wiki for <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: blue; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">[|Vicki Davis] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">' (coolcatteacher) high school computer science courses. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Task
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read Vicki Davis' blog post [|**Wiki Wiki Teaching**]about her first experience using wikis in the classroom. Do you think there may be a wiki in your future? Write a blog post sharing your thoughts and observations about the educational wiki projects you have explored. Provide details/examples from at least **two<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> wikis that you actually investigated ** -- e.g. What did you notice about their organization, content, tools used, learning outcomes? What was missing? What could you do differently or better? In your post, please also share initial ideas you have for wiki use in classroom, professional or personal learning. Be sure to include **//Think 10//** in the title of your post.

**<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stretch Task **
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out a topic of interest in [|Wikipedia]. Does the content seem valid, complete, well-written? Visit the Discussion tab to see if there has been any conversation or controversy about the article. Also look at the History tab and explore a few of the revisions. Post a blog entry reflecting on your Wikipedia experience. Be sure to include **//Think 10 - Stretch//** in the title of your post <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">.

include component="pageList" tag="wiki"