Wiki Wonders for Hesitant Starters

Want to know how to start Web 2.0 in you classroom?

I am so glad that I started to learn how to wiki. I first started with my grandkids on a private wiki. That, of course, demonstrated how quickly kids adapt to any new technology. We shared stories and pictures. They shared school work and projects. A wiki is so easy to navigate, edit, and create a professional online presence.

To start, how about creating a wiki that announces information to parents and provides links to students? That’s how I started. Quickly, I began writing my lesson summaries on a wiki for each class. Then I started some student wikis in which students independently or collaboratively completed writing assignments. To organize all this, I started a home page wiki. Even now it is the home page in my classroom. Students begin here and parents can link to my blogger lessons. I switched to writing my lessons on Blogger because lesson plans are like a diary, daily posts of what we do in the classroom. Students can link from the wiki home page to the weekly blogger lessons and links there. Previously, I created PowerPoint entry and lesson tasks, but students used that computer too, so I’d need to interrupt them to make changes. Now I can quickly edit Blogger instructions on my lesson plans at my own computer, and they are immediately accessible to all computers. The same is true for the wiki units and support pages I now create for students. The wiki provided the ease of use that encouraged my confidence.

To try a wiki, create one at PBWiki. When you do so, go to the page called, SandBox (Click “View All Pages” at top right — you’ll see the SandBox). You can edit that page without fear of hurting anything. You can’t hurt anything anyway; all wikis are backed up and you can revert to an earlier revision. Try it. It’s free. Most of my wikis are PBWiki. You can also try these free wikis:

PBWiki

WetPaint

WikiSpaces

All of them are equally easy to use. The whole purpose is to easily create a website that can be revised and edited by members.

Really: it’s easy. Email with questions or watch these videos offered online:

What is a wiki?

PBWiki Demo: http://pbwiki.com/content/viewdemo

More About Wiki

Try it! Your students will love it.

teacher.se@gmail.com