Wiki

=**Wikispaces.com**= What is Wikispaces.com? A website whose users can add, modify, or delete its content through a web browser using a simplified markup language or a rich-text editor.

Why do we like it (features)? - links to educational videos/other websites - post assignments or other documents online - post notes - blog - discussion board or ask questions - schedule/calender - post marks - change font size/colour - create tables/charts - control of access and editing - easy to use - can easily restore a page

How can a Wikispace help us to reach our learning objective? Students can access different websites, notes, videos, discussions, and more to help broaden and develop their understanding of Canadians in World War II. Ex. If a student doesn't understand a certain concept or topic, they can post a question on the discussion board where students and/or the teacher can answer. If a student missed a class, a student can go to the page that has the classes notes for the day (assuming the teacher posts the notes).

Equipment needed - computer - internet connection

Downsides of Wikispaces - If not properly managed, they are open to SPAM and vandalism. - Can be open to issues of legal liability and risk of reputation. - Not so easy for doing more complicated tasks like creating an actual calendar or embedding videos. - If you don't properly organize your Wiki, your thoughts and ideas can become a big jumbled mess that can be seen as confusing to some students. - Need internet access, so if your internet is down then you can't easily access your wiki. Also, if students do not have internet (for whatever reason such as they can't afford it) they will then be considered disadvantaged compared to the rest of the students. - At first it was hard to embed video. However, now that I know what to do, it is simple!

Wiki's are great for teaching any subject! Math - post notes, assignments, marks, etc English - discussion on books, link websites with chapter summaries Sciences - post notes, assignments, link to websites for extra practice/info (you can really use all of the Wiki's features for any class in about the same way)