Collaboration Through
Wikis and Blogs
Tony Doyle, LMT
Livingston High School
tdoyle@muhsd.k12.ca.us
http://themetawiki.pbwiki.com/
Background:
Web 2.0
Web as platform
 Dynamic content
 User created content
 Tapping the collective intelligence
 It’s not about the software
 From the edge to the center
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Examples of Web 2.0
Wikipedia
MySpace
YouTube
Educational Applications
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Blogs (Web Log)
Reader’s Advisory and literature discussion
On-line Learner’s Journal
Class news
Why a Blog?
Instant publishing
Interactive (comments)
Newest items first
No software management issues
Educational Applications
Wiki
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Student created content
Collaborative publishing
Why Wiki?
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Instant publishing
Collaborative publishing
Revision history
No software management issues
No file management issues
Educational Applications
Podcasts
Oral history
 Interviews
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Why Podcasts?
 They’re way cool
 Develop oral presentation skills
 Appeal to non-writers and non-readers
Blog Examples
Livingston High School reading Blog
http://lhsblog.edublogs.org
Muller in the Middle
http://mullerinthemiddle.blogspot.com/
Marquardt’s Math Blog
http://pamarquardt.edublogs.org/
YHS Modern World History
http://mrsruthman.edublogs.org/
Weblogg-ed http://www.weblogg-ed.com/
Wiki Examples
We’ve
Got Issues- wiki/blog project
http://weve-got-issues.wikispaces.com/
Moncrief
Library Resource Wiki
http://moncrieflibrary.pbwiki.com/
Barb’s
Book Wiki
http://barbsbookwiki.pbwiki.com/
Fremont
Charter Wiki
http://fremontcharter.wikispaces.com/
Podcast Examples
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Book Wink
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Westerville Public Library (Ohio)
http://www.bookwink.com/
http://www.westervillelibrary.org/
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Lansing Public Library (Illinois)
http://www.lansing.lib.il.us/index.htm
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Hopkinton High School Library (NH)
http://www.hopkintonschools.org/hhs/library/index.html
What We’ve Learned
Digital Divide impedes student
participation
 Locally controlled platform might help with
management issues
 Bandwidth can be a impediment
 Reduced opportunities for these types of
projects due to pacing calendars/testing
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Teachable Moments
Privacy issues
 Account management
 Spam
 Copyright issues
 Citation
 Search strategies
 Web site evaluation
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Getting Started
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Try it yourself, get familiar with the sites
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Http://www.edublogs.org
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Http://www.learnerblogs.org
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Http://www.blogger.com
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Http://www.wikispaces.com
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Http://www.pbwiki.com
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Be the technical expert.
Getting Started
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Find an “early adopter”
Someone who will try it just to try it and enjoys the
technical challenges
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Find a class that does not have a CST or
is tied to a pacing calendar
The first try will either run longer than you planned or will
not produce the great results you want so flexibility is
needed
Getting Started
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Standardize user names and passwords
Letting the kids create their own results in more
management issues. An email account is required for
most of these sites. Have students submit their
username and password to the teacher for safe keeping
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Lead!
Take the initiative: present the teacher with roughed-out
plan, show the “value-added” services you can contibute,
share the teaching and grading load, be prepared to do a
lot of hand-holding
Visit:
Http://themetawiki.pbwiki.com