Wikis vs. Blogs

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Wikis vs. Blogs

• Ben Althof balthof_at_mckasd.net
• Wendy Zuber wzuber_at_mckasd.net
• McKeesport Area School District

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Using a Wiki
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Education is about communication.

• In 1995, a software engineer in Hawaii needed a
  quick way for a small group of people to
  collaborate in building a web document.
• He called it the Wiki Wiki Web
• Wiki Wiki is Hawaiian for quick

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Wikipedia

• The most popular example is Wikipedia, an online
  encyclopedia that owes all of its content to
  people who voluntarily add and edit articles.

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Wikis in Plain English

• Teacher Tube Tutorial

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Wikis Web Sites
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Educational Theory Applying to Wikis

• Constructivism sees learning as a dynamic
  process in which learners construct new ideas or
  concepts on their current/past knowledge and in
  response to the instructional situation.
  Constructivism implies the notion that learners
  do not passively absorb information but construct
  it themselves.

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www.wikispaces.com

• Collaboratively create and edit text.
• Include images
• Include hyperlinks
• Embed media video / audio
• Include RSS feed

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Wikispaces Security

• All edits can be tracked.
• Recent Changes button allows you to see who is
  editing what page and when.
• If you would prefer an earlier version of a page,
  simply revert back to the previous version.

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Wikispaces Recent Changes
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Wikispaces Memberships

• Members can be removed and blocked from the site
  with the click of a button.

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Classroom Uses

• http//www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/wikiidea
  s1.cfm

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All Subjects

• Study guides made by student groups for
  themselves and peers
• Vocabulary lists and examples of the words in
  use.
• An annotated collection of EXAMPLES from the
  non-school world for anything.
• What I Think Will Be on the Test
• An FAQ (or NSFAQ- Not So Frequently Asked
  Questions) wiki on your current unit topic.

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Elementary

• An annotated virtual library.
• An elementary class encyclopedia on a special
  topic.
• A travelogue from a field trip or NON- field trip
  that the class would have liked to take.
• A wiki fan club for you favorite author(s).

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Math

• A calculus wiki for those wicked-long problems so
  the class can collaborate on how to solve them.
• A geometry wiki for students to share and rewrite
  proofs.
• Applied math wiki.
• Procedures wiki.

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Science

• A student- made glossary of scientific terms with
  illustrations and definitions added by the class.
• A taxonomy of living things with information
  about each branch as you study Biology over a
  full year.
• Designs of experiments (and resulting lab
  reports) for a chemistry class.
• Observations from field sites.

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Social Studies

• A collection of propaganda examples during a
  propaganda unit.
• Detailed and illustrated descriptions of
  governmental processes.
• A local history wiki.
• A document-the-veterans wiki.

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Specials

• A virtual art gallery with ongoing criticism and
  responses regarding artwork.
• A catalog of musical styles or musical
  instruments.
• Collections of recipes for a home ec class.
• Make a nutrition wiki with ideas for ways to eat
  healthy at local restaurants.

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General

• An orientation wiki.
• Consumer wiki.
• Get a job wiki.

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Reading/Language Arts

• Reference Documents
• Vocabulary dictionary / glossary.
• Add word / definition
• Take turns adding sentences using the word.

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Reading/Language Arts

• Team Collaborations
• Deconstruct poems / speeches / other text
• Take turns adding interpretations.
• Include comments and edits to classmates
  interpretations

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Reading/Language Arts

• Notes / Study Guides
• Rather than checking notebooks, students place
  notes on wiki page. This is much easier to
  check.
• Teams create study guides.
• These can be easily monitored during creation to
  ensure key points are hit.
• Students can choose which study guide to use.
• Extra credit? for best (most used) study guide.

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Reading/Language Arts

• Story Starter
• Each student begins a story 10 minutes
• Students then click onto a different story and
  continue or complete it.
• Students are practicing reading for meaning and
  writing for an audience

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Reading/Language Arts

• Story Continuer
• After reading novel, students write additional
  chapter(s).
• Students collaborate with each others chapter(s)
  for improvement.

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Reading/Language Arts

• Childrens Stories
• Contact elementary school
• Middle School students write a childrens story.
• Elementary students read stories and create
  illustrations.
• Ilustrations are scanned and added to story.
• Stories can be printed and even brought to middle
  school for book signing.

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Reading/Language Arts

• Novel Unit
• Vocabulary include images
• Character Journal collaborative
• Movie Poster
• Movie Trailer
• Discussion comments directly on wiki
• Discussion questions link to blog.

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Policies/Rules/Acceptable Use
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Wikis vs. Blogs
http//unionblend.uniblogs.org/2007/06/15/wikis-an
d-blogs-whats-the-difference/
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Using a Blog
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Blog History

• The term "weblog" was coined by Jorn Barger on
  December 17, 1997.
• The short form, "blog," was coined by Peter
  Merholz, who jokingly broke the word web-log into
  the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog
  Peterme.com in April or May of 1999.

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Blog History

• The modern blog evolved from the online diary,
  where people would keep a running account of
  their personal lives.

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Why Blog?

• A blog is a web-publishing concept that enables
  anyone to publish information on the internet.
• Blogs have become a journalistic tool to publish
  news, ideas, rants, announcements, and ponderings
  very quickly.
• Blogs have become highly effective ways to help
  students to become better writers.

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Types of Blogs

• vblog
• photoblog
• edublog
• Blogs can be grouped according to genre
  political blogs, fashion blogs, educational
  blogs, travel blogs, etc.
• blogsphere
• edusphere

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Blog Uses

• A blog can be private, as in most cases, or it
  can be for business purposes.
• Blogs, are used internally to enhance the
  communication and culture in an organization.

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Blogs in Education

• For teachers by teachers
• Educational policy
• Classroom instruction

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Blogs in the Classroom Teacher Directed

• Current Events
• Curriculum Rationale (describing what, how, and
  why students will be learning weekly)
• Travel Diaries (teachers and students sharing
  experiences)
• Personal Diaries

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Blogs Instructional Applications

• Portfolios
• Student Peer Review
• Book Reviews
• Online Poetry
• Learning Reflections
• Topic Writings (Past / Future)
• Writing Development (Reports as Rough Drafts)

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Literacy Development

• Literacy Communication
• (reading writing)
• Blogging Communication
• (reading writing)
• Blogging Literacy

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Lines of Communication
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Where to Start Your Own Blog

• Blogger
• Classblogmeister.com
• Kidzblog
• Thingamablog
• Think.com
• LiveJournal.com

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SAFETY

• Know your AUP (Acceptable Use Policy)
• Consider Wiki / Blogging tools that are password
  protected.
• Make sure YOU (Instructor) have ultimate control.

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• To blog is to read, think, and write, and then
  read, think, and write again.
• David Warlick
• My Class Blog Example
• www.classblogmeister.com

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Additional Blogging Resources

• Blogging Rubric
• Blogging Basics

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Websites Blogs
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Similarities between Wikis vs. Blogs

• Make web publishing fast and easy.
• Associated with written text, but also facilitate
  easy publishing of pictures, movies, and
  animation as well.
• Educational perspective both wikis and blogs are
  often used as platforms for authors to interact,
  negotiate, and hopefully, form communities that
  learn and build knowledge together.

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Wikis differences Blogs
http//ferret.bemidjistate.edu/morgan/cgi-bin/bl
ogsandwiki.pl?WikiAndBlog
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• Wrap Up Wiki vs. Blogs

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Resources

• www.wikispaces.com / www.balthof.wikispaces.com
• www.flickr.com (need Yahoo id)
• www.flickr.com/balthof
• Flickr toys
• http//bighugelabs.com/flickr/
• Windows Movie Maker
• www.youtube.com / www.teachertube.com
• www.wikipedia.com
• Classroom Blogging by David Warlick
• www.classblogmeister.com