Web+2.0+Professional+Learning

=What is a Wiki=

Watch the following video: media type="youtube" key="-dnL00TdmLY"

According to http://thwt.org/historywikis.html: A wiki is essentially an encyclopedic web page that anyone can edit. Wikis can be in-house sites meant to serve a limited number of editors or wide-open sites where almost anyone can contribute. The most famous example of a wiki is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia whose articles are edited by volunteers and whose content is subject to change by nearly anyone. Wikipedia is one of the most popular reference sites on the Web, with around 60 million hits per day.

Your tasks are to:

 * Explore [|Wikipedia] - watch Jimmy Wales talk about how Wkipedia was [|created...]
 * Explore online wikis that have been used in an educational context?
 * Find some examples of wikis and educational wikis - remember to add them to Del.icio.us and subscribe to suitable RSS feeds.
 * Consider how might we use Wikis in education?
 * How can you use them with your students?
 * What issues are there for schools and teachers in using Wikis?

Further information on Wikis in education: http://www.classroom20.net/Wikis Local example of Wiki use for educators: http://vels.wikispaces.com/

Create your own Wiki
Your next activity is to establish your own Wiki space, to do this we need to create and register as space at [|Wikispaces] which offers [|free wikis] for educators. Please register your wiki [|here], if you need to check what to do there is a howto here...

What can you do with a wiki?
Originally adapted from ([|http://www.teachinghacks.com/wiki/index.php?title=Wikis)] & http://smsn.wikispaces.com/newmedia-howto#tocnewmedia-howto2

[|]
 * Use as a class website that students edit and build upon
 * Use for student projects where group members need to contribute at different times.
 * Use for team based student research and projects - each team get a page/area/concept/or project
 * Use for collaborating on ideas and organising documents and resources from individuals and groups of students.
 * Use as a presentation tool where those who attend a lesson/workshop can contribute to future versions of the lesson/workshop.
 * Let the students write their textbook on the subject - make them the knowledge creators (citing sources etc)
 * As a group research project for a specific idea.
 * Manage school and classroom documents.
 * Use as a collaborative handout for students.
 * Writing: student created books and journaling. (i.e. [|Wikibooks])
 * Create and maintain a classroom FAQ.
 * As a classroom discussion and debate area.
 * A place to aggregate web resources - a list of websites, podcasts, downloads and documents


 * More Information**

For you next Professional Development activity why not use [|ITmadeSimple]
 * Web**: [|http://www.itmadesimple.com]
 * Email**: tony@itmadesimple.com
 * Del.icio.us**: http://del.icio.us/itmadesimple
 * Blog** : http://itmadesimple.typepad.com/learning_thinking_playing/
 * Flickr**: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10598820@N05