Welcome

Welcome to the class wiki! This is where you will learn to use a wiki if you have never done so before, or where you can practice your skills further if you have developed one in the past. Wikis are not the same as blogs. They are not intended for expression of personal feelings. They are meant to be a place for collaboration on a document, whether a report or news article or analytical narrative.

For instance, we could write an article on __teachers' use of technology in today's k-12 classrooms.__ We would decide on the outline for the article and each of us would choose a piece to contribute to one or more of these components in the outline.

Ok Here is a skeletal outline for our article:

1. **Introduction ** 2. **Why we must graduate tech-savvy citizens for the 21st century ** 3. **The history of technology in the classroom ** 4. **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The significance of appropriate teacher attitudes toward technology **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 207pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">5. **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The relationship between technology funding and student success with technology **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 207pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">6. **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Summary **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> So let's do it!. Let's write the article. I will start with the Introduction. (Yeah, I get the easy piece!).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Title: Teachers' Use of Technology in Today's k-12 Classrooms **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">

You will do your research on the topic you select (from 2-6 above) and write your contribution as a word document first, being sure to include the proper citations. Then just copy and paste it here. You do not put your name on the contribution. Your name will show in the history; who has contributed what. The idea is to make the article **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">one cohesive piece of work **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">, not 15 different articles! When you are ready to add your piece to the collective narrative, you will select **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">EDIT ( **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">the tab to the far right). Editing allows you to add and change. When you have finished adding your contribution, please click **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">SAVE **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> at the top (in the grey menu bar above.

Please **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">do not change someone else's contribution **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">. Do NOT alter it at all! If we wish, we will go back later to do that kind of editing. In your classrooms, with students, you will want to do that for certain projects. For now, you should read what others have said and fit yours in where it fits. Just don't erase theirs!!! Once the article appears to be complete, you should copy a major section of the wiki for your e-portfolio---a section that clearly shows where YOU contributed and where your contribution connects to those of others.

This tools makes students more open to listening to others' thoughts. It requires that they take the time to see what they are saying and to determine how it relates to their own thoughts and ideas. It also gives them practice in staying on the subject, not rambling. It offers an opportunity for using citations properly. Students can also add links, tables of information to illustrate certain statistics, pictures, audio, and more! ...a great tool for group work in your classroom. Let's go!!!