10/26/07 -- Module #3: Decentering Meaning: Wiki Writing

How Can We Develop Online Collaborative Writing Projects?

So everyone has an excellent lesson plan, 4 impressive ERIC articles (in APA citation format), 6 lesson plan websites, and WebQuest material to create an interactive online educational experience. With such awesome materials in hand, we're looking to take our edu-tech-savviness to the next level. Not? Let's take a poll...

WebQuests, Revisited

My sense at the end of the last class was that several questions wafted and lingered throughout the computer room concerning WebQuests. So what is a WebQuest? Here's a definition:

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity, where some or all of the material a student interacts with comes from the resources on the Internet. WebQuests eliminate the need for a student to search, sometimes endlessly for information on a topic, since prescreened links are provided in the WebQuest. Another benefit to using WebQuests is that they are easily created and support any curriculum topic. They are motivating and highly interactive allowing students to use real life resources that are up to date.

Let's jump back into one, and see how they work.

• Bernie Dodge's WebQuest About WebQuests

There are two ways to look at a WebQuest: the first is how you as the teacher are going to design and evaluate it, the other is what each step of a WebQuest will look like to a student.

• Introduction
• Task
• Process
• Evaluation/Rubric
  
• Conclusion
• Teacher Page

Here are some additional resources to help you craft your WebQuest:

• A Road Map for Designing WebQuests
• Writing WebQuests for the Classroom
• WebQuest Resources
  

Writing Wikis

The overarching theme to these modules is to avoid coding another static web page that is never updated and collects digital dust. Instead, we should challenge ourselves to develop collaborative editing and writing projects. One of the most common web applications teachers can use to develop student centered content is the wiki. A wiki is computer software that allows users to easily create, edit and link web pages. Wikis are often used to create collaborative writing projects, which make them excellent educational resources. Education Week recently published an article about wikis, citing several examples currently maintained by teachers. Look at two of the two wikis mentioned, and observe some of the similar and different qualities between them.

• Michael Horton's scienceinquirer is mostly list-based -- many good science teacher resources
• Jennifer Dorman uses her wiki, Dorman-Data-Digest, as a gateway into her website, blog and podcast, as well as a cornucopia of resources for various American history units, but no interactive writing either.

Many educators use pbwiki to host their wiki pages, mainly because educators can use the site for free. Just this week, a seminar (for credits?) was held on the site. Getting a feel for wikis yet? Their most important function is to share information about a specific topic, like lesson plans, by anyone who is willing to upload their work, to anyone who is interested in downloading the information. For example, here are several lesson plan wikis:

• Curriki
• Merlot
• Connexions
• Thinkfinity
• Scholastic
• Top 20 Education
  

These wikis could easily be simply called websites as well, but the most important quality of wikis, again, is that many people contribute and edit the online content. We will be creating our own lesson plan wiki starting today.

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Homework

1. Everyone will offer their thoughts to the following question on the Fall 2007 wiki homepage:
   
   What do you think the classroom will look like in 2020?
   
   Base your comments on the three articles I asked you to read in the first class.
   NOTE: To make edits, you must set up a free account, using your email address as a reference.
   
   
2. Each group will begin uploading their work to date on their wiki page. Click on the link to your content area in the wiki homepage to go to your specific lesson plan page. Each group will upload the following to the wiki:
• Summary of the Research Paper
• Lesson Plan
  
• WebQuest materials (click on link to separate page)
  
  
3. Find several Regents based questions that are aligned to your lesson plan. The best way to find specific questions is to remember the standards and performance indicators that you included in your lesson plan. Then look at the Scoring Key & Item Map for each exam, and find the questions that are aligned to your standards. Here are the links to the Elementary Regents Exams:

• ELA
• Math
• Social Studies
• Science