Dec

31

Wowzie Wikis!

December 31, 2006 | | 1 Comment

Been working a lot with teachers and wikis lately. The more I work with them, the more I see them as the most powerfukl read/write web tool available. We have been using wikispaces for the simple reason that it was the first one that I came across through the link from edublogs.org and that they are giving away 100,000 ad-free spaces for K12 education (if only Blogger would follow that lead!).

The power of wikis lies in their simplicity and collaborative nature. They are easy to set up and versatile in terms of rights / security.

A couple of examples…First of all, a Grade 9 Math teacher is using a Math wiki to share lessons / resources / assignments with his students and parents. Now, to start his Math class he covers a few basics and then students begin to works in assigned groups, following his lessons and assignments as they learn together. He likes the results and is finding new ways to use this tool everyday.

One of the real benefits of wikispaces is that they permit users to upload files of all types, not just pictures. If you check our Mr vR’s page, you will see that his PPT lessons are uploaded, linked on a separate page. This allows students to download / view lessons at any time. If they don’t have PPT, they can always download the PPT viewer program for free.

The second wiki I can’t show you – cause it’s locked up. One of the benefits of wikispaces is that they can have varying levels of security / access – a wonderful attribute for a student-based site. This site includes student pictures and videos, and is only accessible to members of the space – namely the teachers and students involved.

While I can’t show you the site I can, however, let you in on what is happening there. The space involves a Grade 7 class from Nasis Middle and Grade 7 and 8 students at St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie, LA. They are all studying French as a second language. First of all, students are working right now on collaborative writing spaces as they introduce themselves to each other (en francais of course).

When we get back, the REAL fun begins. Each class will appoint an “ambassador” in the form of a stuffed animal. They will send that ambassador to the other school, where it will be received and treated like any guest to a round of visiting and sight-seeing. This will all be documented in pics and vids by the students, who will then create narrated (en francais) audio/video podcasts (photostory/moviemaker) which will be posted for sharing with the other school.

The real powerful, and largely unknown, benefit to wikispaces is the ability to upload and link not just photos, but all types of files, including audio and videos. This allows the wiki to be used as a free and easy platform for podcasts! The only limit seems to be a file size for individual files of 10 Mb – a full five minute wmv video! This, combined with the ability to restrict access to a variety of levels and it’s ad free feature for teachers, makes wikispaces truly awesome!

As a final example…check out the Flat Classroom Project wiki, a project between Vicki Davis‘ class in Georgia and a class in Bangladesh. While the complexity is probably beyond the comfort level of most teachers at this point, it does give us a glimpse of what wikis and other FREE web-based projects might look like in the future.

ps…One quick note…if you head off to wikispaces, don’t sign up eagerly. Look waaaaaaay down in the right hand corner for the ad-free K12 educators sign up link…:)

 Technorati tags: education, future, wikis, vicki davis


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1 Comment so far

  1.    Vicki Davis on December 31, 2006 9:57 pm

    Thanks for the mention. And remember, that I did this project after approximately one year of using wikis in my room ( a little less, actually). So, don’t underestimate what you can do once you’re comfortable with wikis and after you blog and find other teachers with common interests! Good luck!

    Also, if you have ads on your page, e-mail help@wikispaces.com and tell them you’re an educator, they will remove the ads promptly.

    I hope you’ll come to NECC, Adam, the VP at Wikispaces and I will be doing a workshop. Good luck!

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