This document discusses the use of wikis in the classroom. It begins by defining what a wiki is, noting that it is a type of website that can be easily edited by multiple users. It then provides some examples of popular wikis like Wikipedia. The rest of the document focuses on promoting the use of PBWorks, a specific wiki platform, in educational settings. It lists benefits like simplifying document sharing and version control. It also provides examples of how teachers can use wikis to share assignments, calendars, presentations and student work with classes.

1. Wikis in theClassroomDebbie Alcorn2010Digital Writing

2. A wiki is a type of website that is developed collaboratively by a group of users, and can be easily added to or edited by anyone (known as 'open editing'). 'Wiki' is a Hawaiian word meaning 'quick' (when repeated it means 'very quick') and was first used in this sense in 1995 by the US computer programmer Ward Cunningham, who called his website the WikiWikiWeb. The best-known wiki is probably Wikipedia (an online encyclopedia that anyone can contribute articles to).What is a Wiki?http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/

3. www.http://PBWorks.com

4. Why use PBWorks? Simplify security:Shared drives are normally only accessible from within the office or through a VPN connection. PBworks is outside your firewall, and uses its own authentication system, which you always can edit and control. Reduce email insanity:Emailing a document to 10 people creates 10 different copies of the document and maylead to confusion. By keeping the most up-to-date copy in one central location, there's less chance of confusion in the group. Get notified of changes:PBworks can notify you via email when pages on your workspaces change. You can control the frequency of these notifications. (From the PBWorks User Manual)

5. Why use PBWorks?Use different workspaces to organize different aspects of your teaching, and the people that belong to it Have a club workspace, a PLC workspace, and a classroom workspace Add different groups of users to the different workspaces, and manage access to them all through my.pbworks.comAdd a classroom account for students without an email account

6. PBWorks is student and teacher friendly

7. How can a wiki help you?Post a calendar with assignments, due dates, and give the wiki address to parents, tooUse a wiki for home schooled students or online assignmentsPost copies of assignments so students can access them from home and eliminate some excuses!Post Power Point Presentations on the wiki so students can review from home without damaging the presentationsUse a wiki for an educational exchangePost classroom photos and videos

8. You can set up an individual page for students to post their workTheir own page gives them ownership and instant publication in a secure environmentStudents can comment on each other’s pagesStudents love the layout and are more willing to complete assignments on the wikiThe opportunity to master innovative technology What does a wiki offer a student?

9. http://msalcorn.pbworks.com/Now, off to my latest wiki page!