Wikis

Typ=**Wikis**= While looking for examples of good high school Wikis, I found a few that were very good, including [] which is the the Plymouth Regional High School Library research page. It is linked to their school and library website. The wiki is used to provide each teacher a link where students can access websites that will facilitate research or extra information needed for that particular class. There are also additional research links provided by the librarian. Students and teachers can add good websites they have found when researching topics. Teachers have linked to their blogs where some have required students to comment on particular poetry, assignments, etc. The **__best__** high school wiki I found is the Springfield High School Library __Virtual Library Wiki__. [] This is an amazing website by a very active librarian, Joyce Valenza. When I first accessed this page, it didn't look like a wiki, but as I moved around the links, I was so surprised to see it was a wiki. The wiki is used for students, teachers, parents and other librarians. There are research links, open source lists, best search tools, plagiarism info, photos, college and career links. There are embedded videos for book trailers, school news, podcasts and on and on and on. This is exactly what I want my high school library wiki to be. As a new high school librarian who is not finished with my certification yet, I have not spent much time on my school website. Now, instead of making a static website, I plan to create a library wiki which will allow my students and teachers to make additions and changes. I plan to have book reviews, publish students poetry, etc.

Kelley Milton

= =

**Wikis**
Creator and author of this wiki site, Matthew Bejune, gives new and seasoned wiki users detailed information pertaining to library wikis. Bejune guides readers to why the wiki was built and the various population it serves. Organized into various categoires such as libraries, their staff, and patrons, each user can find the perfect fit as to where they belong. In addition to these groups, wiki users also are given tons of resources to help keep the lines of communication open and free. He gives expamples of other trends and resources and even has dedicated another link to **more** links! The information is infinite! This site will be a great starting point to show to teachers and students. I think it does a good job of explaining what a wiki does and how you can use one. I like the conecpt of interactive communication with students, teachers, and hopefully parents. I want to have a wiki in the library webpage for comments, improvements, event particiaption, books to be added to the collection, and for my //Name That Book// book club. My book club would benefit from this technology by reviewing books for our list and when we compete, students can quiz each other for quotes from the book, and in general keep better informed with team members. Wikis are a versatile way to have interactive communications in schools and libraries.
 * [] Library Wikis**


 * ) Alejandra Acevedo

[] // Which Wiki Is Right for You? // By Shonda Brisco, SLJ 5/1/2007 The author, Shonda Brisco, advocates using a wiki of you want your library to have a Web-presence but don’t have time to create a Web page. She states that wikis “provide users with a tool that can be easily accessed, edited, and updated. As we create a more collaborative 2.0 school library environment, wikis provide an opportunity for students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community members to actively create new information for others.” The article goes on to review three wikis: PBWiki, WikiSpaces, and Wet Paint. The wikis’ costs, how they work, and the pros and cons of each are highlighted. Each one received an A and was very user friendly for educators and students. The site, Wiki Matrix, is also suggested for further research; this site evaluates the contents, features, and software of additional wikis. I am thinking of using WikiSpaces for student and staff book reviews. This would allow students to view others’ opinions and make reading selections. It also would show students that their teachers read, hopefully illustrating the importance of life long learning. Sharing good books with each other allows for positive interactions and curriculum connections. It makes reading educational and fun. I think students would enjoy using a wiki and hopefully this tool would boost their confidence while learning new technology. Stephanie Rose
 * Wikis**

=Wikis= [] //**How Might you Use a Wiki in a K-12 Classroom**// by Becky Small.

You have decided to use a class wiki to promote learning in your classroom or library. You finally learned how to set it up and even how to teach the students to operate within it. But, have you decided what ways or subject areas you are going to apply it with your students? This article gives many subject areas and ideas that could go along with any subject you are interested in using the wiki on your class. The article also shares links that gives examples of wikis used in classrooms for writing purposes, teacher to teacher wikis and ideas that can be shared through many other learning experiences. There are ways presented about the difference in how to use a blog versus a wiki, and how the wiki works. Most people may immediately think of several different ways to use a wiki in the classroom setting, however I am not one of those people. This article helped to give great ideas in collaborating with their student peers on projects, gathering information for exchanging of ideas, musical works where a student can listen to a score and then create a new musical piece and apply it straight onto the wiki. Another area that I did not consider at first was Literature circles. I have them going on in my class everyday, as students interact face-to-face, but never thought to have them post it to the wiki for the group to record their part of the literature circle and respond to another classmates. I just felt this was a great site to add to this wiki information because it is one of those areas that can be referred back to again and again for ideas to keep the wiki fresh and creative in your classroom or library. ~ Rebecca Seddighi

=10 Best Practices for Using Wikis in Education=

http://itcboisestate.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/10-best-practices-for-using-wikis-in-education/

If you are like me, the idea of having a class build a wiki together sounds like a great learning experience and an awesome resource for the students. You may also be like me in wondering, "How do I make that happen?" This article gives simple but useful advice for incorporating the use of wikis into your curriculum. The rules may seem obvious, but I know I would never have thought to give students something as logical as an outline of wiki conventions and clarifying your expectation that the students will follow those conventions. It would also be imperative to build in specific goals and deadlines for this kind of project, as there is a lot of freedom associated with the creation and maintenance of a wiki. These basic rules helped me have a more concrete idea of how a wiki could work in a classroom, and once that was in place, my imagination was free to come up with potential uses.

-Rachel Matthews

=Wikis= teacherlibrarianwiki []

This wiki was iniated by a library educator in the hopes of building a collabortive information center for school librarians and other educators. Thus far a plethora of library related information have been linked to this wiki in an organized concise manner. Users can browse titles of topics such as //Must Have Graphic Novels Secondary, Information Ethics Elementary, Cool Free Tools,// just to name a few. This is a fine example of how the collaborative nature of a wiki can yield a great deal of useful information to be shared among a specific audience.

In a single school library setting I could see this type of format being used for students to contribute to a school library wiki for a variety of reasons. One goal might be for students to share recommendations of books they've read in order to reinforce reading for pleasure. Another goal might be to elicit suggestions from students regarding what types of materials they would like to see incorporated into the library, which could aid the librarian in collection development. I believe participation in a school wiki will inspire students to take pride and ownership in their library, school, and ultimately their education.

- Chris Davis

=Wikis= Wiki [] This article shares "eight ways to use school wikis." It focuses on eight ways a school in New York saves time in the classroom and helps with teacher collaboration by using a wiki that is set up for their campus. The eight ways that are mentioned are: 1. decrease disruptions of instructional time 2. make meetings more efficient 3. collaborate on important documents 4. enhance professional development 5. share and collaborate on curriculum maps 6. save trees and time 7. a portal for all your lessons 8. how to get started

These suggestions are ten elaborated on by giving examples of how each method is enhanced by wikis. When it comes to decreasing the time taken out of classes for announcements, teachers can simply look at the school wiki site and relay any pertinent information to the students. Meetings are better coordinated by letting teachers know what is going on at meetings and what kind of work is getting done. Collaboration is facilitated by offering a chance for the teachers to plan and work together, as well as seeing where each person is in the process. Professional development is enhanced with a wiki because all of the documents and materials can be uploaded to a wiki, thus saving paper, time, and allowing the teachers to get the information that is only pertinent to them to bring to the meeting. Sharing curriculum is also made easier with wikis - each department can share their work so others can see it. Saving trees and time are very important in school settings, so many teachers post materials on the wiki - especially materials that are important and used frequently - to help clean off desks and bookshelves. Lessons can also be uploaded to wikis for access by other teachers who teach the same subject, also allowing for collaboration between those teachers. Creating a wiki is incredibly easy and can be done fairly quickly.

I think that I could incorporate this technology into an educational setting by using some of the ideas given above and adapting them for my school. Not all campuses are able to coordinate wikis because many teachers may or may not teach the same thing. When I was teaching, I was the only social studies teacher for the 7th grade... having a wiki for the 7th grade social studies teacher would have been awkward - since it was me. I think that a librarian in a school could really help be a facilitator and liasion for wiki use by helping teachers really understand what they are for and how they can be used to enhance the school and teaching. I would also incorporate this technology into a classroom type wiki, much like this one, where I could have discussions with students (in the higher grade levels, of course), post assignments, and even be able to answer questions if needed.

-Christina Gilliam =Wikis= Wiki [] This article discusses using the free software pbwiki.com to create a wiki. It also discusses how wikis work, the Wikipedia model, and how to make them work for you.

The article sites several examples of teachers and librarians using pbwiki.com. Some teachers have set up wikis to sharpen students’ writing skills through collaborative writing and working on the school newspaper. Another teacher had his World History class work together to piece the history of the Holocaust. Other suggested uses include using wikis as formats for subject guides, inviting students and teacher to annotate your catalog on a wiki, and linking librarians in your district in a collaborative enterprise.

This article sites the quintessential example of a school library’s wiki. Sarah Chauncey, an elementary media specialist in New York, has used her background as a web developer to pioneer a wonderful tool for her school. She has created a fun and attractive wiki that definitely enhances the students’ learning. She includes her library lesson plans, standards, and project organizers for different grade levels. She even includes research tools, a listening center, and links to Skype an author, Digital Pencil, and Kids’ News. She showcases amazing student work as well. You can even access the library catalog, listen catalog, and professional catalog from the wiki. She also includes several e-books too. Students work independently and collaboratively to publish their research projects on the wiki. They cover several subjects ranging from the Solar System, Earth, Four Seasons and Weather, Animal Life, Plant Life, and Ecology.

As listed above, there are a number of ways to incorporate wikis into the classroom and library setting. As a school librarian, I definitely hope to incorporate the use of a wiki tailored by the phenomenal example Sarah Chauncey has given us.

Shelby Ware

__** Name of the Technology **__ The name of the technology is PBWorks (also known as peanut butter wiki). The following two websites provide additional information about this software tool: [] __ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hSzJ0Hj_eo __

The address of a website that explains how to use this technology in a library setting is: __ http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6277799.html __

__** Brief Description **__ Teacher librarians are using this technology as a tool for collaborative writing, to construct a web-based newspaper, to share lesson plans, and to use as a format for subject guides. In addition, wikis can be used in library settings to annotate online catalogs.

__** Incorporating This Technology in a Library Setting **__ School librarians can use wikis to help strengthen literacy skills by encouraging students to engage in creative writing activities such as booktalks. By adding annotated books and other library resources to the online catalog for others to view, students will be developing valuable writing skills. In addition, they will have an opportunity to practice social skills such cooperation and effective communication. In short, wiki’s are a great way to empower children and promote teamwork.

The students will choose a book, write a booktalk, and add it to a class Wiki.
 * Skill: **

As part of a National Library Week celebration, the teacher librarian will introduce wikis to elementary and middle school students as a way to help them get excited and passionate about books.
 * Description: **

After generating a collection of new and exciting books in honor of National Library Week, ask each student to select and read one that interests them.
 * Procedure:**

Explain to the students that the first step of this exciting project is to create a booktalk. Show the student examples of different kinds of booktalks using podcasts and other student models of booktalks. Tell the students that they are going to publish their booktalk on a class wiki that other students will be able to view in the library catalog. Impress upon the students to power of their wiki to “sell” the book to another student by sharing their opinions and ideas.

In particular, focus on the different elements of booktalks (the general length, subject matter, how to create “suspense” and wonder for the reader) and explore different ways that writers can capture readers attention (i.e. pose a question, leave them hanging, provide just enough details that make it interesting but does not give away the major events of the story, etc.).

Challenge the students to complete their own booktalk. Provide a prepared handout or template in a word processing program such as Word that the students can use as a guide to help organize and design their booktalk. The document should include stimulating category headings such as “attention grabbing opening sentence”, “totally awesome plot description”, and “wonderful word count” (note: the number of words can be adjusted for each grade and developmental level of the students). Remind the students that every word counts and that “less is more”.

Introduce the class to the wiki using the pbwiki software and demonstrate how to add a booktalk to it. Remind the students that they will have the power to edit, correct, view classmate’s booktalks, and add new booktalks to the wiki at any time. Take an opportunity to address copyright and fair use issues. Discuss the meaning of ‘plagiarism” and its implications for the students (i.e. school suspension, library privileges revoked, etc.) according to the school code of conduct. To ensure that the students have a firm grasp of what is acceptable and what is not in terms of using someone else’s work, provide hands on activities that will allow them to practice properly citing and using outside resources.

Finally, invite other classes to view the wiki’s with the creators present. Ask the students that are exploring them for the first time to share what they liked about the wiki’s as well as other helpful comments. Remind the students that they can add wiki’s at any time and challenge them to continue to develop the class site. Also, arrange for these students to teach this skill to students from other grades.

Name: Teri-Lynn James

Wikis http://dhs.wikispaces.com/

Decatur High School’s Library has an extensive wiki. The home page contains links for students to find articles and resources, to find books, to help with MLA citations, test practice, and teacher resources. The library has also created wonderful pathfinders to assist students in addressing specific topics or assignments. Visitors can also access the library’s blog which features some helpful information on current events and interesting reads.

The blog that is linked is not updated often unfortunately. The last update was in March of 2009. The rest of the pages within the wiki seem to be packed with resources and websites. Many of the pages are protected so it appears only the librarian or their representative can edit those pages.

The DHS library wiki also links to a wiki titled “Picturing America”. There are places on this page where students can post various items (comments, essays, images, or poetry) about some images that have been placed in the library. The only responses related to this seem to be on the comments page. It is the perfect setup for using a wiki though.

I was impressed with the idea of this wiki. I would have liked to have seen the opportunity for students and teachers to add/edit the pages however. I believe, especially at the high school level, students may come across helpful resources that would be great to share.

In my own library, I think it would be great to include some of these same resources and links, but I would also like to include pages for each genre of literature. Students could add to the page for each genre, their own reviews or ideas about text. I also like the idea of giving students the option to add their own images, creative writing, or poetry as inspired by the books they read. A wiki is a great opportunity for students and teachers to interact with the text and resources they find in the library and to share their experiences with the text and resources.

Name: Kim Smith

=Wikis= Wikispaces Ten reasons why your next pathfinder should be a wiki [] Joyce Valenza provides reasons to use wikis, specifically using Wikispaces for teachers, to create pathfinders for researchers (students) in this blog article.

I would use this technology to set up wikis to collaborate with teachers. The most collaborative teacher I have is a middle school ELA teacher and we teach her students research on World War II to give them background information for Number the Stars. We tweak the lesson every year and if we used Wikispaces, then we could more easily see what we did the year before and adjust the lesson and rubric. I could demonstrate our wiki to other teachers as an example of collaboration. Hopefully, more of them would be more willing to collaborate on lessons for their students.

Wikis also seem like a great way to develop recommended reading lists with students. I could make a wiki with pages for Romance, Sci-Fi, Mystery, etc. and the students can add their favorites with brief summaries and comments. That would help them with summarization and add interest to their reading experience.

Donna Wilkinson

= Wikis = [] Bill Ferriter’s article begins with a bracing quote from Richard Elmore, professor of educational leadership at Harvard:
 * Learning with Blogs and Wikis: Technology has made it easy for educators to embrace continual professional development**

“ As expectations for increased student performance mount and the measurement and publication of evidence about performance becomes part of the public discourse about schools, there are few portals through which new knowledge about teaching and learning can enter schools; few structures or processes in which teachers and administrators can assimilate, adapt, and polish new ideas and practices; and few sources of assistance for those who are struggling to understand the connection between the academic performance of their students and the practices in which they engage.”

Because teachers are often so pressed for time to keep up with professional demands, little time is left for personal learning other than staff development that as Ferriter puts it, are “sessions with experts pitching the latest silver bullet. Teachers rarely get to self-select learning opportunities, pursue professional passions, or engage in meaningful, ongoing conversations about instruction.”

I can completely relate to this scenario. Though we must sit through countless hours of “professional development” (read: test data disaggregation), I find that the most meaningful experiences happen when other teachers share their ideas with me. This can happen in a formal settings such as a break out session or a professional seminar, by simply standing in line to make copies, or by contributing to a wiki.

Wikis can provide a portal, a forum for fellow educators to communicate and to share ideas and best practices about their craft, bringing a fresh perspective to how they approach classroom instruction. Contributing to a wiki allows the ideas of an individual to be heard. Teachers who work together in the same building or who are separated by cities can work collaboratively to develop curriculum, plan interdisciplinary lessons, or discuss issues that affect teaching and learning. And best of all, wikis are free. All that is needed to make use of this tool is some ideas and the willingness to share.

Since everyone on our team has a different off period and we are spread out all over the school, we have decided to collaborate using a simple wiki. Here, we have our team meetings, update each other, share lessons, and give each other feedback on how the lessons went and where we would tweak for next time. This is a much more efficient means of communication than trying to track nine weeks of back-and-forth email. Though the wiki is not a total substitution for face to face contact, it sure has facilitated smoother communication for a group that would otherwise be hard pressed to meet in the same place at the same time on a regular basis. And what's more//, we// get to decide what is important enough to be on the agenda!

Here is a link Ferriter’s blog: []


 * Ashley Lopez **

By Shonda Brisco -- School Library Journal, 5/1/2007
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6438167.html

This is an article that will help librarians in making the right decision for their library wiki. It evaluates different wikis that are hosted by the provider. Each evaluation addresses the cost, how it works, pros, cons, and a report card. The following wikis are evaluated: PBWiki, Wikispaces, and Wetpaint. PBWiki will allow librarians to upload video content that can be uploaded from TeacherTube, YackPack voice chat options, photos, and other content. It’s a great way to share a book commercial with students. The customization through Wikispaces allows librarians to incorporate school logo/colors/themes to their pages; this creates a connection with the library and school. Since Wetpaint allows editing by anyone anonymously it would be useful in creating a book talk. The article will also refer readers to a more in depth comparison of wikis by going to Wiki Matrix.

=
After reading this article and not being very familiar with Wiki, any three options would be great for a classroom since they’re all free. I think it would be fun to set up a wiki for my students to do research. Give each group different topics and allow them to add information that they have found in the wiki according to their assigned topic. Using a wiki with any group project is a great way to teach collaboration.======

Wiki (http://pbwiki.com)
 * Technology:**

Pbwiki is a website that allows the everyday user to create a wiki for his or her own purposes. There are It is for this reason that I chose this site for a librarian to use to incorporate wiki technology into the school library.

We have read of several instances in which a wiki has been successfully set up and utilized in a library setting, namely in chapter 3 of Courtney's //Library 2.0 and Beyond.// Though most of these wiki uses mentioned are found in a university or high school setting, I think that a wiki could be just as useful in an elementary or middle school setting.
 * Use in the School Library:**

As librarians, a great part of our job is to instill in our students a love for reading and appreciation of books, as well as how to use technology effectively for the use of research and information gathering. What better way to meet both of these goals than to integrate the use of a wiki with the evaluation and description of books and resources that children use in the library? A school library can easily set up a wiki through a site such as Pbwiki, and make it accessible to all students from their classrooms or the library computers. This wiki, for younger ages (late elementary) can take on the characteristics of the popular show Reading Rainbow (yes, kids still watch it!) by providing a catalog of books available in the library (with picture for easy identification), allowing students to choose a book that they have recently read, and provide a personal review of the book for other students. Students can then access the wiki, search for books, read reviews, and have the opportunity to create reviews of their own. For older students, a separate page on the wiki could focus on research materials, allowing students to evaluate and review the authority and relevance of research resources for certain topics.

I love the idea of young students getting involved with technology like wikis as a form of organizing thoughts, learning to consider the opinions and reviews of others, and also, through technology, learning to evaluate books and resources in a way that is meaningful to others.

Outside of library use, Pbwiki is a great resource for the classroom teacher, in setting up a wiki for her class or setting up a school-wide wiki where lesson plans, ideas, books and resources can be shared, evaluated, modified and improved for school-wide use. By creating a school-wide wiki, teachers are able to learn from each other and get creative ideas and feedback without massive emails or complicated server issues. On the school-wide wiki, a page can be created for student input regarding books in the library (as mentioned above), ideas for student involvement, pages for planning student-led events, and easy communication with a number of people.
 * Use in Educational Setting:**

One of my favorite thoughts for student use of a wiki is its collaborative function for research projects. As a team of students works together on a project, coordinating schedules and dividing responsibilities are two of the greatest hurdles to jump. A class wiki would help to eliminate this problem. Students all have access to the wiki and can create pages devoted to their research topic. As research is completed and thoughts are formed, students can use the wiki as a common ground for comparing, analyzing, and arranging information. From creating a final project to coordinating meeting times, a class wiki to which students have access provides greater opportunity for success in cooperative learning.

-Emily Greer

=**Wiki**=
 * [], Wikis In School Libraries**

This site has a power point presentation explaining some of the uses of wikis in schools and libraries. The students can add to and read their class wikis similar to a journal. They can practice creative writing or record their thoughts about different class readings (similar to what we are doing here), take notes, post individual projects, pass along interesting discoveries, and ask and answer questions. The site lists wiki site choices for libraries and teachers and lists pros of several different ones. It gives examples of the different ways wikis can be used. It is an easy to read and understand presentation that summerizes and gives great examples of the great ways people are using wikis in the classroom and library.

In our first grade class we do rainforest projects. The students could use a class wiki to post the facts they learn about their animals. I usually have them turn in fact pages to me at the conclusion of the project, but this would be a great way to have them turn in the written portion of their projects.

~Jayce Senter

Wikis 10 Best Practices for using wikis in education []

This blog entry discusses good practices for using wikis in an education setting. These practices include: -include detailed instructions -create a culture of trust within the wiki -define and identify student roles

One use of a wiki for a school library would be to have different classes in the same grade collaborate on research projects together. If there are 4 projects, for example, each class would have four different groups. One group from each class would work on one of the projects together.

-Ashley Preston

Educational Uses of Wikis [|http://kamccollum.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/educational-uses-of-wikis/] I found this article to be very informative of the different ways you can use wikis in an education or library setting. The author, Kimberly McCollum, of this article refers to a Jude Higdon article entitled “Teaching, Learning, and Other Uses for Wikis in Academia” and then McCollum goes on to describe how she uses wikis in the online course she currently teaches. In the Higdon article six approaches are presented to using wikis in an education setting... Student Journaling, Personal Portfolios, Collaborative Knowledge Base, Research Coordination and Collaboration, Curricular and Cross-Disciplinary Coordination, Conference and Colloquia Web Site/Coordination.
 * Wiki**

As I was looking for my article for this assignment it seemed as if the primary use of wikis in an educational setting was for collaborating and coordinating different aspects of research. Also, it seemed that wikis are primary used as a quick way to share ideas on any number of subjects. The McCollum article falls in suit with my other searches and she describes how she uses wikis for that purpose. The article concludes by referencing a Barbara Schroeder article titled “Within the Wiki: Best Practices for Educators” where 10 approaches to using wikis in an educational setting are discussed. Finally, McCollum provides links to several example of educationally based wikis.

I would love to set up a wiki to be used by my students as a form of communication with me while we are not in school. If I could provide additional assistance to my students with homework or general school questions through a wiki it would reinforce the skills I teach in class and help students commit the information I teach to long-term memory. I would love for students to have access to a classroom wiki to check homework assignments, look at rubrics, find helpful internet links, explore additional strategies, collaborate with other students on projects, or simply discuss with other students what's happening in school and provide support for each other.

Lisa Cupples

[] Make Way for Wikis: Easy-to use software that lets students collaborate is heading to your school In this article, written in 2005, Eric Oatman tells how media specialist, Sarah Chauncey, used a wiki to enhance the writing and social skills of her students. Chauncey was noted as using pbwiki.com, “pb” for peanut butter, to deploy fun writing exercises that were used to engage students in collaborative writing. The students used the wiki to draft news stories to be featured in the school’s web-based newspaper. Other teachers were noted to have used wikis to help students gain insights to world events, and to enhance musical abilities. Microsoft seem to be impressed with the idea of wikis as educational tools way back then. With their support K-12 teachers in Virginia were able to participate in a program at James Madison University to make them wiki literate. The group discovered that the use of wikis for learning was unlimited! This article also explained how wikis work and used Wikipedia as a model for which librarians should take note. Although most librarians would use with caution, it is a perfect example of how many voices make one product. This article gave insight as to how I might use a wiki to allow student to express their opinion of topics in the news. I could direct the students to online newspapers, have them read world and local news and then ask questions that would require them to post their reactions. It would also be really interesting to have student pen pals from other schools and record the conversations using the wiki. Help your students learn about various concepts related to the library and media center with this listing of flipcharts, which cover research strategies, the Dewey Decimal System, arranging books and more!"
 * WIKI**
 * WIKI**