Chicago Public SchoolsDepartment of Educational Technology

CPS DETAIL TECHNOLOGY TRAININGWIKIS: CLASSROOM WEBSITES TO PROMOTE

EFFECTIVE COMMON CORE IMPLEMENTATION ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

A wiki is a website with a “what you see is what you get” editing interface. It allows the user to easily create basic, functional websites.

What is a wiki?

Wikis as Teacher WebsitesTeachers can use wikis to

• create classroom websites to assemble assignment information, materials, and resources aligned to Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

• create online centers and assignment pages to maximize students' time-on-task

• provide remedial and extended learning opportunities• support strong home connections• encourage additional reading and writing experiences • communicate about upcoming special events and field

trips

Using Wikis to Address CCSS (Primary Example)

Teacher classroom wikis can be used to address a very wide range of CCSS. • A primary grade teacher creates a digital center on a page at his wiki on the topic of

“Transportation”. On the wiki page are links to selected websites vetted by him, a slideshow of various modes of transportation, an educational gaming site on the topic, a poll to gather information on the students’ most used type of transportation, a link to several primary online database articles to be used for research reading, a link to a CTA route map, and links to books and eBooks that students can read. He also includes homework information, a communication to parents, and news of an upcoming fieldtrip. This center can be used and updated throughout the year, as new resources are identified. He, also, uses this center as an anchor resource for his unit of instruction on the top, as he leads his class through basic research activities that they do together and in small groups.

Selected related anchor CCSS: R2, R7, R9, R10, W2, W7, W8, SL2, SL5, L4, L6

Using Wikis to Address CCSS (Intermediate Example)

Teacher classroom wikis can be used to address a very wide range of CCSS. • A middle grades science teacher creates a set of science fair resources on her class

wiki page. In her wiki, she includes a embedded calendar with important dates, a project list, and instructions for preparing for the fair. For the research component, she includes information on how to write a paper, examples, links to appropriate online databases, a bibliography of available library books, and a link to a citation generator. She embeds a podcast with some introductory information, links to vetted websites, a slideshow of the previous year’s fair, and some video of winning students’ presentations. She includes steps of the scientific method and helpful graphic organizers. She, also, includes information for parents, for judges, and later adds post-fair updates.

Selected related anchor CCSS: R2, R7, R9, R10, W6, W7, W8, SL2, SL5, L6

Using Wikis to Address CCSS (High School Example)

Teacher classroom wikis can be used to address a very wide range of CCSS. • A high school history teacher creates a wiki to support student research that occurs

during the school year. For her unit on “Immigration and the Progressive Era”, she includes vetted websites that provide quality resources to supplement the textbook, links to selected online database articles and streaming video, a bibliography of related library books and eBooks, and a link to a recommended citation generator. For the research unit itself, she creates topics, work groups, assignment details, graphic organizers, support documents, and assessment rubrics. She includes links to historical pictures of the era and links to podcast oral history interviews. An embedded calendar provides a schedule for intermediate and final assessments. Later, some student work is posted to be shared with the class and parents.

Selected related anchor CCSS: R3, R7, R9, R10, W2, W6, W7, W9, SL2, SL5, L6

Samples of Teacher Class Wikis

2nd Grade Classroomhttp://mrsibrahim.wikispaces.com/homeCPS Inter-American Magnet School Libraryhttp://iamslibrary.wikispaces.com/home French Classroomhttp://ah-bon-french.wikispaces.com/homeChemistry Classroomhttp://salksperiodictable.wikispaces.com/Periodic+TableHistory Classroomhttp://megreene.wiki.hoover.k12.al.us/homeMusic Classroomhttp://rhsmusic.wikispaces.comMiddle School Instructional Support Classroomhttp://jstyles.wiki.hoover.k12.al.us/homeMiddle School Science Classroomhttp://clollar.wiki.hoover.k12.al.us/homeMiddle School Social Studieshttp://collaborationnation.wikispaces.com

Step 1: Create a Wikispaces Account

1. Go tohttp://www.wikispaces.com/content/for/teachers

2. Complete the form to create your Wikispaces account

3. Select a wiki name that is unique and reflects your school, classroom, or teacher name

4. Make the wiki protected and certify that it is for educational use

CUSTOMIZE YOUR WIKI

Step 2: Modify “Look and Feel”

1. Log in at your new wiki2. Click on “Manage Wiki”3. Under “Settings”, click on

“Looks and Feel”

Browse for a logo on your computer. The logo must already be sized correctly. It will appear on the upper portion of your new wiki. Hint: You can create your own custom banner in PowerPoint, if desired. Save as a .jpeg, then use as your logo.

Step 2a: Add a Logo

Select “Themes and Colors” to further personalize your wiki.

Step 2b: Change wiki template and colors

Choose a layout & colors that you like. Select “Preview and Customize” to more highly customize your wiki.

Step 2b (con’t): Change wiki template and colors

Adding Wiki Content

Click on the top left to add a new page. Name the page and add tags, if you choose. Go to Manage wiki > Pages to lock/unlock, tag, or delete pages

Step 3: Adding Pages

Click “Edit” to launch the editor toolbar. This toolbar allows you to boldface, italicize, or underscore text; resize text; add bulleted or numbered lists; add horizontal rules; and perform other functions.

Step 4: Add Text to Pages Using the Editor Toolbar

Further edit text by selecting fonts, size, text color, background colors, and strikethrough options.

Select heading sizes.

Note “undo”, “redo”, “preview”, & “cancel” options.

Step 5a: More Text & Toolbar Options

Add internal & external links to your wikis by clicking on the “Link” button on the Editor Toolbar.

Step 5b: More Text & Toolbar Options

Check “New Window” if you want your wiki to stay open when the link is clicked.

Add downloadable files to your wiki by clicking on the “File” button on the Editor Toolbar.

DocumentsMS Word (.doc, .docx)MS Excel (.xls, .xlsx)MS PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx)Portable Document Format (.pdf)Text, HTML, and XML documents (.txt, .html, .xhtml, .xml)OpenDocument Formats (.odt, .ods, .odp, .odg, .odf)Rich Text Format (.rtf)

OtherOutlook mail folders (.pst)Java class files (.class)Image metadata (.png, .gif, .jpeg, .tiff, .bmp)Audio metadata (.mp3, .wav, .midi, .aiff, .au)

Step 6: Uploading Files

Use the image editor toolbar to align, resize, caption, or add a link to an image.

Step 7: Uploading Images

1. Copy the code from various embeddable objects, such as forms, video, polls, calendars, VoiceThreads, Glogs, etc.

2. On the Editor Toolbar, select “Widget”, “Other HTML”, then paste the code in the box. Hint: You can easily alter the height and widget of the object, if needed.

3. Click “save” on the widget box, “save” on the editor toolbar to view your embedded object.

Step 8: Embedding Widgets

Step 9: Inserting Tables

Tables are a great way to nest content across the page. The table cells look small initially, but expand as you insert content. Use the table editor toolbar to change the table configuration.

Table Editor Toolbar

Wiki Management

Use the discussion tab to allow other members to comment on the page. This is a great way to support formative teacher & peer assessment, as well as foster collaboration. Use the history tab to monitor contributors to the page and roll back to previous versions, if necessary. Set up notifications to receive emails when the page is changed.

Step 10: Discussion, History, Notifications

1. Traditional navigation lists every page. With many pages, that becomes cumbersome. You can select “edit navigation” to create a more manageable navigation list

2. Delete the “Include navigation” widget to create your own custom navigation.

3. To create your navigation, build lists of section titles and links to specific wiki pages.

Step 11a: Editing Navigation

Sample constructed navigation pane

Navigation Trees

Once you are comfortable with wikis and have many pages, create navigation trees to manage tiers of related pages and to keep the top level navigation simple.

For example, this page is atop-level page called “training” which leads to various other pages that are found by click on the link on the page.

Teachers may create top-level pages such as “homework” or “research units” which leads to other pages that don’t appear on the main navigation pane.

Wiki:http://cpsproflib.wikispaces.com

Step 11b: Navigation Trees

Special features under “Manage Wiki” include the ability to manage wiki members & organizers, to control the ability to join the wiki, and the ability to monitor user statistics.

Step 12: Management Features

Wikispaces Teacher FAQs: http://help.wikispaces.com/faq+teacher+wiki Contact Wikispaces: http://www.wikispaces.com/site/help?src=help

Step 13: Help with Wikis

Growing Your Classroom Wikis

• Go slow and let your wiki grow over time.• The only way you can “damage” your wiki

is to delete it. Otherwise, you can always recover your work. (Drafts are saved or you can revert to previous pages in the History tab.)

• Once you feel comfortable managing your own class wiki, consider using wikis with your students. They support a very wide range of CCSS for students and have many applications.

• See CPS Educational Technology DETAIL training to learn how to use wikis with students.

• Join the “CPS Wikis” email group to talk with others about wikis, to get help, or to share your new wiki with other teachers.

https://sites.google.com/site/cpsedtechportal/wikis