Wiki+practice

=Wikis II=

Let's look at some wiki projects being used by EFL teachers and students. There are a number of example projects listed here: http://wikisinefl.wikispaces. com/Wikis+in+EFL

Choose two or three of them, go to the sites and write any reflections/notes you think are worth sharing under the following headings:.

Project - What it is being used for

Discussion / Reflection:

 * Which of the projects did you think were examples of good practice. Why?
 * Can you think of any benefits of publishing student work using a wiki?
 * Why do you think you might use a wiki as opposed to a blog?
 * Did the examples give you any ideas how you could use a wiki with your own students?

Using a wiki
Let's start using a wiki to see how easy it is to use a wiki. We are going to be using http://www.wikispaces.com, wiki software which is easy to use and free.

The wiki we will be using is here:http://ictsecondaryelt.wikispaces.com/
 * a) Where to start**

another one is here: http://eflsandbox.wikispaces. com/

Before you can add anything to this wiki you first need to join the space.
 * b) Create an account**


 * add your name, password and email address and click on 'Join'

Once you have joined, you'll see the wikis you belong to listed on the left-hand-side
 * c) Accessing the wiki**

**d) Editing a page** You should now see a link to a page with your name – click on your name to access a new page

Next, click on the 'Edit Page' button (below) and write something on your page

**e) Basic features** Try doing some of the following by using the Editor toolbar


 * change the text font (bold / italic / colour and style)
 * Add bullet points / horizontal rule
 * Create a new page by underlining some text and clicking the 'Insert Link' button
 * Next, give the new page a name, or link to any other web page by adding the address (see below)
 * Finally, save the page and then click on the link and edit the new page.


 * f) Advanced features:**

__Adding images__

You can easily add images to a wiki to make it more visually appealing. Remember to only upload images you have copyright permission for. A great source of images is http://www.flickr.com - Use the 'Advanced Search' and select 'Search under Creative Commons' - these images are offered by people for use elsewhere on the Internet. All you usually have to do is to give them credit for using them.

Getting started with your own wiki project
The key to the success of a wiki is in having an active participants.This is why it is often better to work with an existing wiki community rather than setting up a new one.

Here, however, we will be looking at setting up a wiki to publish the work of one class (or level) of students online.

Do keep in mind that this is just one way of working with a wiki. A wiki can also be used :-
 * to publish project work of students in an entire teaching centre,
 * to support offsite classes
 * for running an international exchange (between classes in other countries)
 * to share teaching resources with colleagues
 * individually as a teaching portfolio.

The first step is to plan the wiki project. Answering the following questions may help you:
 * Planning**
 * Why do you want to use a wiki? For a student project? To share work (with other students, with parents)?
 * How and when are students going to contribute? From the computer room during classtime? From home after school?

Talk to a colleague about how you might use a wiki with a class / level / etc. and take notes

You may also want to take another look at the examples listed http://wikisinefl.wikispaces. com/Wikis+in+EFL


 * What you will use it for**

__Projects__ If you are going to use the wiki for a project, a good idea would be to plan the project with the students in class first, work out the sections of the wiki before you start writing. This will help you later, but don't worry if you need to change, remove or add pages later. It's very easy.

__Working Methods__ If you are planning on using the computer room, then make sure you will have enough time in their to be able to complete your project. If you are asking students to write at home, make sure you spend at least one session showing the students how to access the wiki and how they should start to contribute. It'll make it easier for them if you have the link to the pages they are going to write already set up.

__**TIP:**__ There is no reason why you need to complicate things by trying to tell your students you are going to 'create a wiki' - all you need to tell them is that they are going to publish their work on the Internet

Once you have planned your project, it's time to set up the wiki. We will now look at which wiki is best for you.

Which wiki?
http://wikispaces.com is probably the easiest wiki to use, but there are others. You can find out more by looking at the following page: http://wikisinefl.wikispaces. com/Which+wiki+should+I+use%3F


 * References and further reading**

If you'd like to explore more, there are a number of resources listed here: http://wikisinefl.wikispaces. com/Further+Reading