Staying+Connected+Classroom+Wiki

=**Staying Connected with the 21st Century Student! **= 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments. || 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. ||
 * Goals**, ISTE NETS*T:
 * a. || promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. ||
 * c. || promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. ||
 * d. ||
 * a. ||
 * b. || develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. ||
 * c. || customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. ||


 * Activities:**
 * Maintain a class Wiki that students can use to collaborate and communicate about subjects they learn throughout the year.
 * Make discussions available for students to use to answer questions and engage in dialogue with their classmates and other members of the Wiki.
 * Create team pages for students to develop in Science and Social Studies.
 * Have time for students to learn the Wiki, how to use the Wiki, edit pages, upload pictures and files, wait their turn to edit.


 * Evaluation:** (screen shots of rubrics)
 * Rubrics from [|Read•Write•Think]
 * [|Online self-assessment]
 * Written self-assessment

There are many different Web 2.0 tools that can be used in a classroom. A teacher is not able to be an expert in all of them so it is important to be willing to learn along with the students and give them a chance to be exposed to as many different technology experiences as possible. In some cases the tools that were used were not successful, like [|Nexio,] while others like [|Edmodo] and [|Etherpad] became very useful for class activities.

In the beginning of the year students are set up with a [|Gaggle] email account after getting parent permission. For the past four or five years my students have been required to use only Gaggle for email in school. This helps facilitate the use of Web 2.0 tools that require email. As Gaggle is filtered and monitored by the teacher it is much better than a Yahoo or Hotmail account. A school can subscribe to ad-free accounts.

All of the Web 2.0 tools used in class this year have supported the class Wiki hosted by [|Wikispaces]. Wikispaces was chosen for ease of use and because it is free. The class Wiki is a private Wiki due to privacy concerns for students who are under 13 years old. Members include students of the class and interested teachers, all of whom participate in the Wiki. Use of the Wiki gives students a new environment that they can learn in outside of the classroom if they choose. Because of the digital inequity of the students, homework that has a technology component is limited to class time. The school has a computer lab that is utilized once a week and some of the exploration happens there. The classroom also has computers for students to use, both desktops and laptops.

The focus in this unit is the [|ISTE] teacher standards though the ISTE students standards are being met also. With Web 2.0 tools in class I am able to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. Students are excited about learning, wanting to share what they know, most anytime there is a technology component. This project draws upon their creative abilities. Etherpad is a tool that allows the students to collaborate and create a story or a document with other students. They are willing to not only work on almost anything but do so for a prolonged period of time in absolute silence.

The standards for teachers have also been addressed through the class’s involvement in a global project, [|“Voices of the World.”] Students are encouraged to participate and tasks are posted on a Wiki for Voices of the World. Each task is built on using student creativity, collaboration and their voices all put together with a Web 2.0 tool. Our most recent global project is a collaborative Wiki with a sixth grade class in Turkey, that we are just getting started. This is a screen shot of our Voices of the World November project. Click here for the link to the actual page.

During the last quarter of school we studied astronomy. Students work in teams to create planet pages after researching on the web for information. Some of the activities in our science kit lend themselves to be transferred to a Wiki rather than using paper and pencil. The research the students do to learn about the planets is still the same; just the tool to present the information is different. Students work together with an Etherpad document before copying and pasting the info on the Wiki; this helps alleviate the limitations of only one person being able to edit a Wiki page at any given time.

Finally, all of this came together for me this past year as I was able to work with another teacher and present at [|ASTE] this year. We created a Wiki just for the class and put all the different links on it that we have been trying out. The other teacher and I have our students collaborate on projects. In the past we have had them become email pals but with the new tools available to us now there is so much more they can do. Our students explore and learn together with the teachers. One of the most important things they have learned is how to collaborate and work together. Another thing is the mentoring that is going on between students. Those who know how to use the computer, the Web 2.0 tools and programs help the others in class who have trouble. The skills the students are learning are not limited to the content.

One of the tools that the class has come to rely on is Etherpad. This is an online collaborative word processor. While the Wiki allows us to collaborate and create together, only one person can be editing at any one time. Etherpad allows a group of up to 8 students to write a document together. While in the lab the students break into teams depending on the subject being studied. They have an Etherpad open with all members of the group contributing. When they are done or it is time to leave one person is designated to copy and paste onto the Wiki page.

The specific subjects that have been most successful with the Wiki are science and social studies. Within science one of the units is astronomy. There are a variety of activities that lend themselves to the integration of technology. In one activity the students are expected to create a planet book with information they have researched from books, videos and the Internet. This year the students worked in teams and created the planet book online posting to the class Wiki. Another feature of the Wiki is the discussion tab. Each page can carry its own discussion. Earlier in the year with our study of structures, some of our question and answer sessions took place on the Wiki in the discussions. Students responded to questions that were posted. Other teachers and the [|Anchorage School District Science Department] were also invited to join in if they would like and some did. This created an authentic audience for the students, not only was the Wiki for our class but other teachers participated. Throughout the year the class Wiki remained a private Wiki for members only.

My students have participate in Junior Achievement every year for the past eight year. Junior Achievement brings a volunteer from the business world into the class to teach about economics and the world. Fortunately our volunteer has been with me for eight years now. Students learn about the world from her experiences growing up in Saudi Arabia and going to school in Europe. Students collaborate together to create a business plan for a product they want to market. Each team represents a different country. They research the country that they represent and to whom they want to sell their product. The students use the Wiki to share information and collect their notes.

Students who went out on their own to find them recommended some of the Web 2.0 tools that were explored this year. One was [|Soshiku], a tool to help manage assignments. A few students decided to use it and think it is quite useful for them. Another tool that a student used was [|Mixbook], online software to create photo books that one can invite others to help create and share. One idea for this tool was to create a personal museums and invite family Outside to add to them online. The student then would present their Mixbook in class. This is a take-off on the “student star of the week” that many classrooms have weekly. The Wiki and Web 2.0 exploration has enabled students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in their education.

Online self reflection: taking part in a group[| http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=721&title=]
 * Assessments & Rubrics:**


 * Web 2.0 to share with class:**
 * First graders class Wiki[| http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337&l=1143592742]
 * “It’s Elementary: Web 2.0 in the elementary classroom”[| http://www.slideshare.net/dkuropatwa/its-elementary-web-20-in-the-elementary-classroom]


 * References:**
 * Bosch, N. ( 2007, January 22). A Not so different place, blog: Wikis for Elementary students. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from []
 * Educationalwikis. (2009). Examples of educational wikis. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis
 * Gaskins, W.C. Wikis in the classroom. (2008) Retrieved April 4, 2009, from []
 * Kuroneko, K. (2008, December 21). Eduwikis - Using Wikis in the K-12 Elementary Classroom. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from []
 * Teachers first. (2006-2009). Teachers First: Wiki Walk-Through. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from []
 * Wikis in elementary schools. (2008, January 23). Wikis in elementary schools. Retrieved April 4, 2009 from []

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.
 * ISTE NETS*T:**


 * Tools and Resources:** (more links on the Links page)
 * [] an educational microblogging site. I’ve set this up for my class too. I put assignments on it, let the kids know what they will need to do in the lab. It works best for the time in the lab. I can prepare the lesson ahead of time, those who want to get to the activities right away while others work through the lesson with me.
 * http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Articles+and+Resources tutorials, guides, interviews, discussions and more on Wikis
 * [] allow multiple people to work simultaneously on one document
 * [] a social networking site, that did not work for us
 * []
 * [] monitored, filtered student email
 * [] online collaborative photo album
 * [] a way to help keep track of high school and college assignments.
 * [] a collaborative, community working to develop free educational content; [] Wiki tutorial
 * [] offers free, ad-free Wikis for K-12 education