Wikispaces

**Welcome to Wikispace!**  **Contents**

**-Editing a Wikispace**
** What is an educational Wikispace? ** Wikispaces are collaborative virtual websites.Through Wikispaces students enter an online platform, which allow each user to create, edit and revise content. Students together are able to co-construct a common pool of knowledge using text, sound, images and videos. Wikispaces have been hailed as transformative constructivist technology, as teachers adapt their methodology to become scaffolders of learning, and forge a student centred and driven environment.

Take a look at the 2011 Edublog Educational Wikispace award winners at __[]__.

** What are the Benefits? **
 * Encourage collaboration and builds teamwork skills
 * Peer evaluation
 * Encourage higher order thinking and reflective practice
 * Scaffolding student learning
 * Individualising student learning
 * Facilitate and document collaboration among class members
 * Use photos, YoutTube clips and diagrams to illustrate learning

** When can you utilise Wikispace in the classroom? **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Collaboration of notes and ideas
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Co-constructed essays or reports
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Concept introduction and exploratory projects
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Individual assessment projects

**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">Let's Get Started! ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">** How do Wikispaces work? ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Educational Wikispaces allow the teacher/administer to have omniscient control over the functionings and content of the entire site. Once students have been added into the Wiki account, students are assigned to a page/group. That page becomes a canvas of students work. Each student can construct, edit and develop there ideas on the assigned page. Teachers can document what work has been achieved by each student.

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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**How do I create a Wikispace for my class?**
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Create an account.**

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**1.** Create an account at [] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">**2**. Once on the Wikispace website, click on the option for “wiki’s for individuals and groups”. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">**3.** A sign in page will present which will ask you the following questions: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">-Username ( You might use a pseudonym ) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">- Password ( Important : the password must be atleast six (6) characters long) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">-School e-mail address <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">**3.** Click “yes” for the option of “Make a Wiki”. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">**4.** Choose a space name (it has to be letters, numbers or hyphens with no spaces). Consider selecting a name representing your class. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">**5**. For space Visibility, click “Protected”. This allows only the people who are selected ( teachers or students) to work and change content on page. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">**6**. Under the title “Educationsl Use” click the box to state that your space is for K- 12 use. ( It is normally $50/year to anyone not in K -12). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">**7**. Record your user name, password and space name down before continuing. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">**8.** Click the “join” button. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">**9.** You will now be taken to your Wikispace "home" page.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Create a home page.**
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The homepage is the first point of contact for students when accessing the Wikispace. You as the administrator create, edit and revise the homepage, while choosing to have complete control over it's content. The homepage can act somewhat as a title page for wesbite, or it can set out the guidelines for the task and the goals for students to complete. Furthermore, Wikispaces are forums for creativity, the more inventive you are with content and layout the more engaging your Wikispace will be. Below is an example a homepage from a Leenva Shearling's educational Wikispace.



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Editing**
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. Click the 'Edit " button. A tool box should appear at the top of the page.You can now type in your home page message or welcome page. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2. To format your text in any way, you will need to highlight the text and then use the buttons on the tool bar. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3. When you have finished with your content, press the save button.

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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Text Options**
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. Press 'Font and text colour options" to change front, text and background colours. You can slo change the alignment of the text on the page. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2. Click "apply styles" when you have finished selecting.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Uploading files and images**
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**1.** Click on the file button in the edit tool bar. The below pop up will appear.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2. **Insert Files - Files on computer** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">- Click the "Upload file" button to select an image or document from your computer. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">- Click "browse" to locate and select image/file. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">- Click 'Upload'.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3. **External Image**
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">- Click the "External Image" button to upload an image that is housed online on a wesbite. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">- Copy the Url ( Highlight the text and press Ctrl C) and paste into the tab box provided ( Ctril V). <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">- Click 'Upload'.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Embedding objects from other websites** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. Click on the 'Widget' tool in the edit toolbar ( the tool looks like a TV). <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2. A pop-up window will open with a List of applications for your Wikispace.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Below an outlline of the applications.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Adding a movie from Youtube**
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. Select the desired Youtube Clip <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2. Click on the "share" button. A option to "embed" the clip should appear. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3. Click on "Embed" and a code will appear. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">4. Copy the code ( highlighting and Ctrl + C)

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<span class="a" style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Once you have copied the embed code, you can embed it into your wiki by: <span class="a" style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. Click 'Edit' on your Wikispace. <span class="a" style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2. Click to the page in which you desire the clip to appear. <span class="a" style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3. Click the 'Widget' (TV) button on the toolbar. <span class="a" style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">4. Click on the video option, and then on the Youtube button. <span class="a" style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">5. Paste ( Ctrl + V) in the embed code that you copied into the empty white box. <span class="a" style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">6. Click on save. <span class="a" style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">7. The video will only appear after you have pressed save.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Editing content from other Sources** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">You can add objects from other websites similarly to the above method. You need to find the Embed code from the wesbite. Then, click on the Widget tool to paste the Embed code. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. Click on the Widget tool ( TV ) on the edit bar. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2. Click option for 'other Html'. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3. Paste in Embed code. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">4. Press 'save'.

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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Create student accounts**
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">You have created your homepage and set your task. It is time to add your students. E-mail addresses are not required to add students. You can make your own user name and passwords and then allocate these to students.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. Select manage Wki on the side tool bar. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2.Under people, select the user creator <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3. Choose the Wiki you would like to add the users to.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">4. Enter your user names and passwords either through excel or as text.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">View A Youtube Clip about creating Wikispaces! media type="youtube" key="MNUsfMn-EFk" height="315" width="420" align="center"