Collaborative Writing Spaces
Today we will focus on one collaborative writing space: wiki.
Introducing the writing spaces: Getting started
1. Wikis - using wikispaces.com - where students can co-create monomodal and multimodal texts. The site or page they create can be monitored, and scaffolded in real time or over time.
A great resource page is http://awikispacetutorial.wikispaces.com/
This was built by two students of Ian's two years ago. It is a wikispace tutorial, built in wikispaces.It includes short videos of what to do using Jingo. It covers some of the basics.
Assessing use + Collaboration + product
Wikis in use in a year 5 class: Antarctica [a collaboratively created multimodal information report]
http://www.wikispaces.com/user/my/DrKPZ
The teacher was able to track students contribution to the development of the page using HISTORY. She was able to scaffold and make suggestions to students using DISCUSSION tab but also WROTE questions and comments directly onto the pages. Assessment of student learning was based on product and process using a rubric. Students were able to suggest ideas, websites and change others pages. They could also revert to a previous version of their page using the HISTORY tab.
Research possibilities
Discussion
Other applications
Popplet: http://popplet.com/
Allows people to collaboratively create written, visual and multimodal texts online, similar to large post-it notes. Plan diagrams, flow charts and ....
Dabbleboard: http://www.dabbleboard.com/
Easy to use visual and multimodal collaborative text creation tool.
Blogs - using blogged.com or edublog - where students can communicate with others by posting items: writing, pictures, videos. These can include interaction through a comment sections OR access can be restricted.
Blog examples from schools
http://kazamscorner.blogspot.com/
NB: Not all work needs to be assessed. The application of a blog at the school or class level, such as at Belmore South Public School, provides the school community with greater links to the school, classes and the students and between them. Students and teachers have permission to edit the blog but comments from the general public are blocked.
Another collaborative space: Box.net (Updated 12-1-2012 by Thomas DeVere Wolsey)
Using Box.net for research collaboration with an example from the Teacher Education Research Study Group at LRA: