Wiki

=**__Bigger, Wikier, Stronger!__**= I know, I know! It's not Bigger, Wikier, Stronger; it's Bigger, Faster, Stronger, and this is the conditioning program that we use here at Red Oak High School. Nonetheless, it makes for a cheesy segue to my next topic, the Wiki!

Wiki comes from the Hawaiian language. It means "fast" or "quick."

Used in the world of instructional technology, it means a collaborative website that can be directly edited using only a web browser. It can be a very private and secure website or it can be highly public with access allowed by anyone. It can even allow for blogging. Nonetheless, it is an important tool in instructional technology.

Wikipedia is probably one of the most famous wikis out in cyberspace. When I looked up the word "wiki" in Wikipedia, it noted that it was first implemented by Ward Cunningham., This gentleman reworked the idea of the Apple Hyper Card into something that allowed people to make comments on other webpages. It was a fast processing program, so he could have named his software fastweb or quickweb, but he did not like the sound of it. So he decided to use the Hawaiian word, "wiki," which means "quick," to name his program. Just so you know, Wikipedia in English has over 3,900,000 entries, or I guess you could say, wikis. Many of the other major world languages have at least 100,000 wikis in their version of Wikipedia.

=**__Creating a Wiki at Wikispaces.com__**= A wiki at Wikispaces.com is not too taxing to make, but of course, it helps when you have directions to refer to. So that being said, I have attached a file for you to refer to in the event that you are stuck at a wild party and need something to do. Please feel free to use it as needed.

=**__The Wiki as a Bell Ringer__**= The Wiki can be used as an instructional tool for the classroom; in particular, it can be used as a bell ringer. Please recall that after the bell has rung and the class has begun, you can use the first few minutes of class to immediately engage students in learning through technology. Your bell ringer will most commonly have students recall information that was previously learned or have students apply a skill previously mastered.

For the 2012-13 school year, our students will all have laptops. Make good use of this technology by incorporating it into a bell ringer activity on a regular basis. Keep in mind that a good bell ringer would normally be:
 * 1) based on previous learning;
 * 2) checking for understanding of a previous learning outcome;
 * 3) at the beginning of a class.

Check your email to see your group assignment. Then click on the discussion post at the top of this page. Do the Bell Ringer for your group first and then answer only the follow up questions assigned to your group. When you are done with these posts, design a Bell Ringer page and link it to your Wiki homepage. On the Bell Ringer page, come up with activities that could start your class working with the laptop technology. See Ann Petersen for greater guidance.