I set up my classroom wiki. http://room214science.wikispaces.com/
I figured out how to make different pages. Most importantly, I figured out how to finally work that Spelling with Flikr correctly! When I made the heading to this page, I did it the old-fashioned way- by getting the pictures individually; putting them into a Paint program and saving. I felt like saying "DUH!" when I realized all I had to do is type in my word and the program brings it up for you. Wow- that is A LOT of time I can save now!
I have my wiki connected to my classroom blog. http://wehnerscience.blogspot.com/ I have the wiki listed on the blog. I am hoping to get the two to work together. Here is what I envision:
-The blog will mainly be mine. I will update it weekly or whenever I feel the need to write parents. I hope to post homework and things.
-The wiki will mainly be the space of the students. I hope to use this space for students to write about what we are doing in class; and to practice how to use one of these applications. I already have a page for our 1st unit of study, as well as a questions/answers page for my incoming 6th grade students.
I do wonder if I should keep with our district's Moodle site. To me, I may use this to just upload any papers and similar things. I do not find it as attractive and easy to use as I have the wiki and blog- although I think that I will work with it a bit more as time goes on to see how I could use this. I just wish the district had given us some instruction and help with how to use Moodle. I feel a little bit of a rebel still, going out and creating sites and such that are not part of the district umbrella. Hope I do not get rained on for doing this.
Wiki vs Blog... well, how I have broken it down is how I see the difference. A blog is more personal to me- something that I can write and control. A wiki is the space where my students can upkeep. Of course, this could be reversed, but this is how I am setting it up. The whole purpose of a wiki is to collaborate and work on something with others.
For now, I am just using this year as practice. I have no clue how I would ever monitor student use; and use it for grades. This is going to be a work in progress.
In like the way you described your understanding of blogs vs. wikis and how you will use them differently. Practicing first and then expanding is a great plan.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the Spell with Flickr creations goes, if you have a short word like the title of you blog, it is not difficult. It gets a lot more complicated though when you have multiple words - that's where the image editing program becomes important. Congratulations on getting your header just right.