Wiki+Best+Practices

Here is where we'll build a list of best practices for using wikis in the classroom.

[] [] http://www.slideshare.net/lesterk/wikis-education
 * Wikis Best Practices in the Classroom**
 * Include detailed instructions on how to use wiki.
 * A lot of students and co-workers will most likely be new to the wiki system.
 * Create a culture of trust.
 * Start an icebreaker game with participants so that the whole community will feel comfortable with each other.
 * Respect all community users opinions
 * Set up wiki rules and make sure users abide by them
 * Allow for practice. Wiki is difficult.


 * Chelsey Nichols**

**Best Practices for using Wikis in the Classroom!**
There are many useful tips for using Wikis in the classroom and these are the five that I felt like were important: These are five guidelines that I feel are important and I also justified why I feel like they are important. I found these guidelines at the following sites:
 * Post Wiki conventions and require the participants to abide by them.
 * I think its important to follow this guideline because you need to let your students know the rules, if they are not following the rules it can be disruptive to others that are trying to learn.
 * Create a culture of trust within the Wiki
 * I feel like this guideline is especially important because it is important to help your students feel comfortable within the Wiki setting.
 * Assign meaningful, authentic activities.
 * I like this guideline because if you can drive authentic and relevant learning by the activities that you have your students do.
 * Make sure that your students/participants are signing their Wiki responses.
 * I like this guideline because it is important for the students/participants to know who they are working with and responding to.
 * Encourage honest and open voices from your students/participants.
 * This guideline is important because your students need to let everyone know how they feel about something, especially if it is making them uncomfortable or they are not willing to participate in an activity.
 * http://itcboisestate.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/10-best-practices-for-using-wikis-in-education/
 * http://www.ikiw.org/2007/09/23/bill-ives-writes-about-wiki-best-practices-for-enterprise-20/
 * http://www.micropersuasion.com/2005/03/blog_and_wiki_b.html
 * Sharalee Miles

__5 Best Practices For Using Wiki In The Classroom__**


 * Be patient with students as they learn how to navigate a wiki. I can relate to this because I had a hard time navigating our simple class wiki! As teachers we need to realize that, for our students, it may be the first time using a wiki and we should be patient.


 * Create trust within your wiki. This is very important because children should feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and opinions within the wiki.


 * Define and identify students roles, activities, and assessments. It is important to for the students to know what your expectations are so they can rise to those expectations. Also, the work will go smoother if students know what is expected of them.


 * Remind students of course deadlines and schedules. Even as an adult, I still need reminding sometimes. It is important to remind our students of deadlines. Wiki has a lot of freedom and students may need to be reminded.


 * Review content regularly. It is important to regularly review your wiki and make sure all the students are on the same page. This will make having a wiki an enjoyable experience.

http://itcboisestate.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/10-best-practices-for-using-wikis-in-education/ http://www.micropersuasion.com/2005/03/blog_and_wiki_b.html http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2005/03/27/blog-and-wiki-best-practices http://www.leveltendesign.com/article/wiki-best-practices


 * Tanesha Heath

WIKI BEST PRACTICES**

I believe these rules are important because they help honor and respect everyone who is involved with the wiki. They help keep the peace between everybody so that they can have a fun experience using wiki! [] []
 * 1) Use apropriate language
 * 2) Create, share, have fun!
 * 3) Keep it friendly and collaborative
 * 4) Mediate your page
 * 5) Post your own wiki rules and abide by them


 * Allison Paskett**

=__**Practice the Best Way with Wiki by Jennifer Nielsen **__= ==== ***Focus! Wiki needs to be about something successful. It needs to appeal to a niche that isn't entirely satisfied elsewhere and its main purpose is to share information. In other words, don't go Wiki Wild. Keep you focused attention on a main subject for that particular Wiki. If you have something else to address, create a new Wiki.** ====

***Keep content current.**
====*** The practices I like for myself would be, well, I like all of them, but #1 & #6 speak to me the most. Probably because I don't want to take time to read fluff. I want to get to the point and focus in on a topic. And keeping information current would be important to me. Sometimes I read a website and it was last updated on in 2003 That drives me crazy.====

[]

__Wiki Best Practices__ by Darren Mecham As with any technology that is used in the classroom there are some best practices suggestions that should be used with Wikis they are: 1. Create a culture of trust among Wiki participants. 2. Set up conventions (rules) and require students to abide by them. 3. Have a common goal for all participants. 4. Assign meaninful activities that will make working with a Wiki more useful. 5. Define and identify roles for collaborative activities. 6. Review content regularly.

I think that all of the above best practices are useful however, as a teacher I think that setting up rules and expecting students to abide by those rules and reviewing content regularly are probably the two most important.

[] http://www.ikiw.org/2007/09/23/bill-ives-writes-about-wiki-best-practices-for-enterprise-20/ http://www.micropersuasion.com/2005/03/blog_and_wiki_b.html

Darren Mecham

__GUIDELINES FOR USING WIKIS__

1. Always plan with a purpose 2. Make sure its use connects to content and standards 3. Create a community by setting rules and class goals 4. Have clearly defined tasks 5. Plan for higher order questions and skills 6. Continually assess

I believe that using wikis in the classroom is wonderful but should be approached just as all other lessons and projects; planned with use according to student need and connected to the core standards. Understanding the skills the students already have and connecting it to what they are to be learning is important- then you can have clearly defined tasks. Continually assessing students and your own teaching will help tie learning back to objectives. http://wikisplus.wikispaces.com/Planning+a+wiki http://wikisplus.wikispaces.com/Using+wikis+in+the+classroom []

Emmie Staker

**Wiki best practices**
I have found that these few things are going to be important if you use a wiki in the classroom. There are countless more but here are the few that I think are a good start. Providing clear instruction so the child understands what is expected of them on the Wiki page. Letting kids in your class know it might be difficult to learn at first but they will catch on with practice. Kids need deadlines and reminding them when something is due on the Wiki page is good so they know how much time they have to work on a project.


 * Provide clear instructions
 * Remind students it will take time to learn to use Wiki
 * Remind kids of deadlines

http://itcboisestate.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/10-best-practices-for-using-wikis-in-education/ http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2006/06/using_a_wiki_to_promote_educat.html