Tips+for+Jean

I have used wikispaces two ways so far.

1. Created one class wiki where I invited all students from one class to collaborate together on one specific lesson for one day, to get an idea of how wikis work.


 * Students immediately and excessively began to chat with each other. I found a way to end the chat feature but students need protocols concerning chat. Want them to chat but they need to chat and work at same time.
 * For next time I plan on having a long term project, asynchronous, rather than a short term project - synchronous and it involves creating a work a fiction involving two immortals, one male, one female who experience various us history events and have students contribute text, pictures, storyline ideas etc. will see if it helps

2. Individual wikis for each child and I just invited parents to join the child and me on the wiki - TBD whether this increases student engagement or parental involvement.

Tips 1. Kids need emails - suggest students create another email rather than their personal one, just to suggest to students the need for one email for personal use and another for professional use, otherwise I had students write down some weird email names. Also for next time, I will invite parents simultaneously with the students rather than have a two step process of student first and then parent. Also remind students to get parent emails. Most of my high school students knew their parents emails.

2. Too many students forget their passwords and username so next time, I will create an excel and have students user name and passwords recorded as they create. Students can easily reset passwords but has been a hassle.

3. Have students create user names that you recognize and are professional like first name and last initial or vice versa, otherwise you will get EZy or princesschocolate or wolvin and then you do not who the student is when on the wiki.

4. For next time, I will do more direct instruction of specific tasks such as uploading images, powerpoirnts, or whatever before we go to lab. I did it briefly but when we went to the lab they floundered at first as if I never discussed how to do this. I will also provide a Step by Step cheat sheet as well but not on paper but on their wiki.

Anyway suggest you create a "New Page" and try to use "link" "file" "table" and "widget" and you can ask me questions or otherwise just play. Then create your own wiki too.