Blogs and Wikis in the classroomSTAV Leaders Conference 2011

This generation• Content creators not passive absorbers

YouTube video blogger (vlogger) Natalie Tran purportedly earns $US100,000 a year.http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/riding-the-tube-20101113-17rzy.html

Blogs and wikis are tools which students use outside of the classroomSo why not bring them into the classroom?

What are wikis?• Wiki is a Hawaiian word for ‘quick’• A website which is quick and easy to edit• A collaboration tool• Well known example:

Wikipedia

What are wikis?• Content is user generated and edited• YouTube: Wikis in plain English

How I use wikis• Year 9 Science wiki

• Evidence of teaching practice

• Class projects

How might you use wikis?• Simple website• Easy to setup and maintain• Don’t need to know HTML code or use specialised design

software

• Class projects• Collaborative research• Collate research

• Revision

• Digital portfolios

Drawbacks• Risk: Open to manipulation• Monitoring• Collective knowledge

Getting started• Wikispaces• 300,500 K-12 wikis• Free for educators• Create students accounts• Students need to become Wikispaces members• Set privacy – Public (open to all) to Private (members only)

• Wetpaint• Free• Students need to become Wetpaint members(or sign in using Facebook or Windows Live accounts)• Set privacy – anonymous edit, members edit, invitees edit (most

control)• Both services have limited storage

Getting startedUltranet• Restricted to government schools

In summary: Blogs vs. WikisBLOGS WIKISEssentially time / date driven -- aka linear - so great when you want the latest thing (news) at the top

Free-form, more like a website - great when you want more navigation options or want to have plenty of pages and/or sub-pages

Most often single author Designed for multi-author approachSingle topic / overarching theme Multiple topicsOften contain reflective thinking Contributors as content generatorsGreat tool to briefly record what has been covered in a lesson, to highlight upcoming events and important dates e.g. tests, homework, etc.

Fabulous for user to work together to record and share learning over a period of time

http://elhwikimania.wetpaint.com/page/Blogs+V+Wikis

Demonstration• http://stavlc2011blogsandwikis.wikispaces.com/

To do to start the session• Laptops• Connect laptops to internet• Sign participants up to Wikispaces and join wiki

Welcome activity1. What is a wiki?2. What do these things mean for you and your students?3. Why are we here?

Evaluate an educational wiki• Locate an educational wiki relevant to your work. You might

start with these examples, or with a Google search.• Evaluate the wiki based on the following criteria:1. What is a basic description of this wiki? Include such elements

as grade level, subject area, or other educational purpose.2. Who is the intended audience for the wiki and what would

they get out of it?3. Who are the intended contributors for the wiki and what

would they contribute?4. How does this wiki accomplish something that only a wiki can

accomplish? What other websites or media could be used to accomplish the same thing?

5. How could you adapt this a model for your own work?

Reflection activity1. What is the most important thing you learned today?2. What are your next steps for using wikis in your work?3. What do you want to learn more about?

Your turnIn this activity you will design a wiki page about an element.Your wiki must include:• A picture of the periodic table with your element highlighted• Symbol of the element• Atomic number• Relative atomic mass• Is your element a solid liquid or gas at room temperature?• Is your element a metal, non-metal or metalloid?• Is your element natural or man made?• Melting point• Boiling point• Density• Who discovered your element and when• Information about how your element was discovered, or who first used it and how it was used in history• What are the uses of your element? (This is to be more than a list of uses, you must include

an explanation of each use.)• If your element has no uses, make sure you say this and have any other info that you can give.• What are some of the common compounds formed by your element? What are the uses of

these compounds? What are the chemical formulae of these compounds?• Is there any other interesting information that you would like to tell about your element• Correctly referenced bibliography

Q&A

ContactDrew ChanMethodist Ladies’ Collegechana@mlc.vic.edu.audrewslchan@gmail.com