Wikis+and+Blogs

 ** Wikis and Blogs in The Classroom **

**Table of Contents**:flat

=Wikis and Blogs: What's the Difference? = = = **Taking its name form the Hawaiian word for FAST, a wiki is an easy to manage, editable web-page that usually includes a discussion board component. Almost any type of file can be uploaded to a wiki and accessed by members.** **In education, wikis might be used for**:
 * class websites
 * webquests
 * discussion boards
 * student e-portfolios
 * group projects
 * cross-classroom/content/district collaboration
 * research projects

**An abreviation of web log, a blog is a personal, more journal type website that includes timely posts and reflections on any given topic. It also allows viewers to comment on posts and can include images, video, links and audio clips.** **In education, blogs might be used for:**
 * <span style="color: #810081; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**T**eacher to student communication
 * <span style="color: #810081; font-family: Georgia,serif;">independent student or teacher reflections
 * <span style="color: #810081; font-family: Georgia,serif;">class projects
 * <span style="color: #810081; font-family: Georgia,serif;">research projects
 * <span style="color: #810081; font-family: Georgia,serif;">online discussion

<span style="color: #810081; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> =<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Sample Student Wiki Projects = =<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**The focus of this workshop is developing lessons that utilize wikis for class projects. Of course, you may want to develop your own as well, and resources for this can be found on the** wiki design workshop page**. Below are links to sample student and teacher wiki projects as well as resources and tips to get you started.**

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Grammar Wiki--Students created a grammar wiki that was used to review and teach specific grammar topics. This was a group assignment and students were given a specific template to follow and were to use various web-based tools like Cool text and ToonDoo to make their websites more visually interesting. They also each designed a quiz using Survey Monkey which was given to the class following their presentations.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Modern Materials Chemistry Wiki--Students were to create a wiki that showed modern appications of chemical materials. This was a group project and students were challenged to research, organize and present information in a visual and meaningful way. They also used web tools like Animoto and Cool Text to make their sites more engaging.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Study Skills Wiki--Used as a final project, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Apllied English Strategies students created a wiki that provided specific tips and strategies for academic achievement. This was a group project and was to be targeted at freshman who might actually use the resource.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Cross Curricular Discussion Wiki --this was a wiki discussion between 9 Honors Bio and a 10th grade English class on the topic of evolution.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Cross District Discussion Wiki--this is an example of a wiki discussion between Hampton and Peters Township English classes. Students discussed as the read the novel All Quiet on the Western Front. The activity culminated in a live video conference between the classes.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Science Lab Wiki --Mrs. Maine is a teacher from Punxutawny who has used her wiki to replace textbooks over the past two years. There is tons of great stuff on these pages, but the team pages in particular have some great examples of students using wikis to document lab experiments.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">US History Wiki --Created as a review resource, this wiki has specific links to student created pages that summarize important info from all topics covered in class.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Other Educational Wikis--this site has a pretty extensive list of educational wikis from around the globe.

<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> =<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Tips for Developing a Wiki-based Project =


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Start with the end**...What specific curriculum objectives do you want students to demonstrate through their wiki?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Design a rubric** early in the process so you can share these expectations with students...maybe even involve them in this process? After all, a wiki is a web-page and these kids look at a lot of web pages! Click here for some sample rubrics. Here are some suggested criteria for student created wiki projects:
 * <span style="color: #a71111; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Organization--** User friendly, logical design that shows clear understanding and application of content presented. This could also include how headings and page links are to organize information.
 * <span style="color: #a71111; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Images, videos and graphics**--<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif;">high quality multimedia is used thoughtfully to organize, enhance and support information, not just as random decoration.
 * <span style="color: #a71111; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Content--** information is accurate, thorough and shows depth of understanding.
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif;">** Research and Resources --** information (text and multimedia) sources are cited and come from reliable, authoritative entities.
 * <span style="color: #a71111; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Creativity**-- Wiki platform is used to present information in a unique and creative manner. Any one can copy and paste text from other websites...How does this project present it in a new way?
 * <span style="color: #a71111; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Group Effort --** I like to have students evaluate each other in this category **(**you could use an online tool like Survey Monkey to keep it anonymous and easy to manage...here's an example). You can also look at the history tab on any wiki page to see who is editing it and how often.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Design a project home page**. This can include resources for students including project instructions, rubrics and links that might help them find material.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Set up links to student project pages** on your home page. This might be individual student links or group links.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">You may want to design and include a **template** to help students organize material on their pages...a good way to differentiate the project.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Allow time for students to research** content BEFORE they start designing their wiki. Once they get in design mode, this has a tendency to take a back seat!
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Direct students to http://tools4students.wikispaces.com/Wikis for tips and tricks for wiki design
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Allow some class time for students to develop wikis, but keep in mind, these can be accessed by all group members from home.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Use the HISTORY tab** to see who is making edits and if anything needs to be UNDONE.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Allow students to share**, review and comment on each other's pages when appropriate. Having a genuine audience can be a great motivator and help them find relevance to their work.

=<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Blogs in the Classroom = =<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Students might use blogs to **reflect, summarize, synthesize, apply, predict, connect, find relevance, question, discuss and or explain** curricular concepts in any content area. Blogs allow students to create a more personalized web site than a wiki and allow them to view and comment on peer's pages. Although up to the instructor's discretion, most blogging is somewhat informal in voice and style and is written from a first person perspective.


 * In math or science, students might blog to:**
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">record lab observations
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Question, reflect and expand on class activities or assigned readings
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">journal and during a group project
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">discuss real world applications and connections
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">share insights and answer peer questions

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**In social studies, students might blog to:** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Reflect from a historical figure's point of view
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Journal as an observer of a historical incident
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">express political ideas
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">respond to readings or writing prompts
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">reflect on current events
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In language arts, students might blog to: **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">respond to independent or assigned readings
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">reflect on literature from a character perspective
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">explore modern or personal connections with literature
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">evaluate and review readings
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">log progress when during a research progress

=<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Sample Student Blogs = =<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;"> = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[] --This is an example of a blog for a history class done from Napolean's point of view
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[] -- this is a teacher blog that includes posted blog prompts and links to individual student blogs. It is used primarily for responses to independent and assigned readings.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[] -- this is a project blog that had students create a blog form a literary character's perspective. Blogs were to include character reflections on novel events, biographies as well as literary criticism summaries, poetry and modern allusions. Students also commented on their classmate's blogs in character.

= <span style="color: #810081; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Blog Resource s = = = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[] -- Read my blog for an indepth reflection of the above projects. [] -- Although I don't have any solid student math examples, here is a blog that suggests having students blog extended responses to math problems. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msoasciithemefont: minor-latin; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msobidilanguage: AR-SA; msobidithemefont: minor-bidi; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msofareastlanguage: EN-US; msofareastthemefont: minor-latin; msohansithemefont: minor-latin;">[] for more ways to incorporate blogs into your classroom. [] --while there are many blogging tools that are free to educators, I have found this to be one of the best.