General+Applications



Your wikispace has many uses - and since it is one application that is accessible to DeFranco teachers, it might be a good idea to explore how wikis could work for you.

1. Your wiki can be used in the classrooom with an LCD projector. Since you can access this from both home and school, you can put videos (teachers can now access YouTube videos for educational purposes) and images on your wiki. You can also link or embed PowerPoint presentations or link word documents or PDF files to your pages that can be used for instruction. 2. Set up information on your wiki to allow students to access as a Learning Station. Use those United Streaming videos or History Channel clips to enable students to view Science or History clips that you may not have time to show in a whole class situation. Use links to different practice sites to allow your students to practice material at their level. 2. Your wiki can be used to contact and collaborate with other teachers in the building or anywhere. Once a teacher is invited to become a collaborator, he or she can view and edit whatever is posted, as well as add his or her own posts. 3. Use as a place for students to gather and post research. Students may find really helpful information when conducting research for a project. They can post this information or the link to where they got it. This helps you as well in determining whether the website used is a valid one. 4. This application can be an outlet for student publication. We are living in an electronic world. Much of what our students will do in their future careers will involve computers and the ability to communicate electronically. This allows them to work in a safe medium and can be used as a teaching tool for writing, research, and presentation.
 * In the classroom - **

1. If you post the notes given in class for your subject matter, absent students can easily access what they missed. 2. This also allows for students to collaborate on projects outside of school, without having to make arrangements to visit each other's homes. 3. It demonstrates an educational use for the computer at home - other than just "typing a paper."
 * Outside the classroom - **

A few points to ponder with wikis - **There are upsides and downsides to everything and the wiki is no exception. - If you want your students to post on your wiki, you must get parental permission (Click on the link for a template of a wiki permission letter - [|wiki parentletter[1.doc]]). I would suggest having your students use just their first name and their last initial and making your space only accessible to those members that you have specifically invited. - Two people cannot edit the same page at the same time. For example, if I am typing on the general application page, no one else can. However, someone can work on modifying the "Math Applications" page. - It also does not have a spelling or a grammar check. I would suggest having your students type in Word or Open Office first so that they can use the spell check tool that comes with that program. [|www.sjusd.org/.../ images/computer_cartoon.jpg]
 * 