Tom Barrett 'interesting ways' series

1. 18 Interesting Ways* to
Use a Wiki in the
Classroom
*and tips
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike 3.0 License.

2. I THINK THE BEST REASON IS
EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE
DOING RIGHT NOW!
COLLABORATING....
"Wiki" is not a tool.
It's a way of working.
It's a way of collective reflection
around an object.

3. #1 - Create a subject-specific repository
Get students to write their own revision materials!
• Sign up for a free
'education' wiki with
Wikispaces(see link
below)
• Make the wiki only open
to those you have
granted access.
• Get students to sign up 4. Make students
for a Wikispaces responsible for their
account own pages.
5. Students can
collaborate and
become 'experts'
http://wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers
Doug Belshaw

4. #2 - Ask for student response
• as collaborative project
o And To Think That I Saw It On My Way To School
o Love That Dog
• to books
o Civil War Novels
o Ghost Cadet
• to classwork/class discussions
o WikiWorld!
o Emma's Politics Page
• To Canadian mentor
o Di Hengen and student conversations
Paula White

5. #3 - Show off Student Work
• to demonstrate understanding
o Fractions, Decimals and Percents
o Consecutive Numbers The Rotunda Charlottesville, VA USA
• for an audience (reports and projects)
o Landmarks and Math
o Discrimination (check out Japanese Americans)
• for advertising purposes
o 5th Grade Fundraiser (see menu on left)
• To meet someone (in this case, our mentor introducing herself)
o Dionne Hengen
Scott Stadium At UVA Paula White
Charlottesville, VA

6. #4 - Allow Students to create pages:
• Just For Fun
o 5th Grade Student pages
o Drew's Games
• To communicate
o Summer Activities
o Spring Break
• To relieve stress
o Going to Middle School
• To organize for presentations
o School Board Links
Paula White

7. #5- Publish Training Videos
Use Jing and Wikis together to learn and review
• Students:
o Researched/mastered assigned objective for MOS
Certification test
o Wrote scripts with step-by-step instructions
o Used Jing to record screencasts
o Used a Wikispaces wiki to upload video and add
script
• Wiki is now a source for learning and reviewing MOS
test objectives
• Has also been shared with school staff for quick how-
to reminders
Heidi Van Riper
@hlvanrip

8. #6 - Post Podcast
Embed Podcast
• Create podcast and embed on page
o SES Computer Lab
 We use Podomatic to create ours, then embed the code in
the wiki.
Barb Smith

9. #7- Sharing teaching techniques among staff
Invite staff to share ideas that work and build up a
library of techniques
For example
• Good practice in teaching pupils with SEN
• Ideas for stetching the most able
• Ways of integrating thinking skills / MIs into lessons
Advantages
• Easy access to staff when it's convienient to them
• Quickly builds into a valuable resource
• Some staff will contribute and this builds shared
sense of ownership
Dave Stacey
@davestacey

10. #8 A wiki as a forum for pupils to air issues
relevant to teenagers.
Create a wiki for a group of teenagers.
• Pupils create seperate wiki pages relating to certain
issues:
o Bullying
o Drugs
o Peer-pressure
o etc
• Pupils include links to resources, helplines,
fora etc.
• Pupils use the Wiki discussions
o Pupils use the discussions in addition to the pages themselves.
The discussions allow conversations around the issue.
Submitted by Dughall McCormick
Twitter: @dughall

11. #9 - Where can I get a wiki?
Four companies offer ad-free wikis to educators. Each
offer different features, which may make them suitable
for specific purposes
http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers
http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com
http://pbwiki.com/academic.wiki
pluWeebly.com
http://pbworks.com/http://pb
works.com/
Dave Stacey
@davestacey

12. #10 - Interactive Sub (Supply) Plans
Create a page with sub plans and post for class
Sub (Supply) Plans Sample Voki
• Create voki and read
plans to class
• Post Schedule and show
class
• Require at least one
assignment be done
using wiki creating
virtual classroom
teacher can look in on
@mwacker
Michael Wacker

13. #11 Create a collaborative dictionary.
- Create an English or foreign language dictionary to catalogue new
words encountered each week:
• Have a new page per topic area.
• As an extension, students add what type of word it is, i.e. noun,
adjective etc, genders (for MFL), and an example of its use.
Submitted by
Catherine Elliott
Twitter:
@catherinelliott

14. #12 - Classroom Site
I use a wiki as my classroom website, where I can post PDF
files of assignments, an archive of assignments (for absent
students and for parents), section notes, worksheets, etc. I find
that it saves so much time. If students want to know what they
missed while they were gone, I can direct them to the website.
If students lose their handouts and want a new copy, I can
direct them to the website. If parents want to know what we are
covering in class… you guessed it!... I direct them to the
website. For me, Wikispaces, has been an amazing tool! This
year, I’m also using Wikispaces to create a collaborative
mythology “Wikipedia” that we can refer back to throughout the
year, and to create online e-portfolios of student writing.
Please feel free to visit any of my online wikis:
www.pilgreenenglish.wikispaces.com
www.pilgreenspeech.wikispaces.com
www.pilgreenbritishliterature.wikispaces.com
Submitted by Jessica Pilgreen

15. #13- For Learning Journals
Students can reflect on their learning
• Each student has a page or pages each.
• They can write freely about how they learn, not just
what they learn.
• The teacher and other students can comment on the
associated discussion page.
• Students learn more about reflective writing by
studying entries by other students.
• Teachers could create a page template to provide
prompts if required.
Colleen Young
http://colleenyoung.wordpress.com/

16. #14 - Digital Class Book
• Assign each student a letter of the alphabet, word, or
topic and a wiki page
• Each student builds a page about a word related to the
class topic
• Students can embed Glogs, upload photos and videos, and
add text to their pages
• Use wiki's discussion thread for students to comment on
each other's wiki pages
• Content ideas:
o ABC wiki about any topic (page about a word related to
the topic starting with each letter of the alphabet)
o 50 states
o Chemical reactions
o Historical people, places, or events
Jayme Linton
@jaymelinton

17. 15 - Wiki Skills Progression
– Add text to a prepared wiki page.
– Add text and graphics to a prepared wiki page.
– Create link to a new wiki page.
– Create link to an existing wiki page.
– Know when to create a link to a new page and when to link to an existing page.
– Create a wiki with several interlinked pages.
– Put version comments to explain the changes that have been made.
– Add to a wiki page that has already had content added, making positive changes
and explaining what has been altered.
– Use the history to check previous versions and adding or removing information as
appropriate.

18. #16- Create a Class "Folder"
• Each one of my blocks has a page on our Science Wiki and
members of the class are responsible for adding information
to the page
o Digital Glossary of terms used throughout the year
o Notes on topics being discussed
o Students peer edit information that is posted
• Group pages are linked to the block pages and are a way for
groups of students to display their final work from a project
or lab
• I also have included basic information about the course of
study, classroom expectations, basic explanation of Project
Based Learning, etc.
http://mrsfranksciencewiki.wikispaces.com/
Elizabeth Frank
(@EliFrank23)

19. #17- Homework Spreadsheet
• Our students have six different classes and they used to
have to check six different websites for HW. With this
Homework Wiki, we created a centralized location for all
HW, assignments, project due dates, and up coming events
for the entire 7th grade. Parents LOVE it!
http://7thgradehomework.wikispaces.com/
Elizabeth Frank
(@EliFrank23)

20. #18 - Class Wik-tionary
You could keep track of words learned throughout the year.
Students can type the words and their definitions into the wiki
as the year progresses.
Add pictures and audio files of the pronunciation of each word
to help students remember the words.
Share your wiktionary with other classes so they can learn
vocabulary with your class. Collaborate with other classes on
adding words and definitions.
Cheryl Tice
http://en.wiktionary.org/ http://cheryltice.wikispaces.com
(I'm not certain of the origin of the word wiktionary.)

21. If you would like to:
• Contribute your ideas and tips to the presentation.
• Let me know how you have used the resource.
• Get in touch.
You can email me or I am @tombarrett on Twitter
If you add a tip (or even
if you don't) please
tweet about it and the
link so more people can
contribute.
I have created a page for all Image: ‘Sharing‘
of the Interesting Ways
presentations on my blog. Thanks for helping
Tom Barrett
The whole family in one
place :-)
Have you seen Maths Maps yet?