Wikis are an effective collaboration and organizational tool to archive student and instructor coursework, lessons, videos and other instructional materials. Wikispaces is a free and easy to use wiki resource currently used by faculty members, instructional technologists and students in a variety of fields.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY&w=640&h=480]

Units	Collaborative Tools, Online and Social Media Resources, Presentation Tools	Duration	3 hours
Standards	Communication, Communities, Cultures	LEVEL	Advanced, Beginner, Intermediate, Novice
WEBSITE	Visit Wikispaces Website	OS	PC or Mac

Step-By-Step Instructions

Sign up to Wikispaces

• Go to www.wikispaces.com
• In the Get Started area, type in a user name and a password you are going to use for wikispaces account, put in a valid email address, and then click on the Get Started button to create your account.

• Follow the online instruction to complete the sign up process

Sign in to Wikispaces

• Go to www.wikispaces.com
• Click on the Sign In link next to Already a member.
  

• Put in the user id and password you used when signed up your account to complete the sign in process.

Create a new wiki

• Click on the Create a New Wiki link at the top left of the screen after you sign in to Wikispaces
  

• Name your new Wiki and choose your Wiki Type

• Read the directions when the Getting Started With Your Wiki dialogue window appears and then turn it off when you are done.

Edit your Wiki

• Click on the Edit tab, highlight the contents on the page, delete them, and then put your own content on that page.

• You can format it with bold, underline, italics, headings, and more. Once you are done editing, click Save.

Add links to your page

• Click on the Edit tab.
• Highlight the text you would like to link and click on the link icon in the toolbar.

• The  Insert Link window appears which allows you to create a link to another page in your space or another website
• Click on the Add Link button

Add images to your Wiki

• Click on the Edit tab
• Click on the graphic icon
  

• Browse your computer for the image you would like and click Open
• Upload the chosen picture or file
• Place your cursor where you would like the image on the page
• Double click the image or file to place it on the page.

Add media to your Wiki

• Click on the Edit tab
• Go to the icon of the TV in the toolbar
• Choose the type of object you’d like to embed
• Follow the instructions for embedding each object
• Click Save
  

• To invite new members, click on Manage Wiki and Invite People.
• To change your wiki’s colors or theme, click on Manage Wiki and Look and Feel.
• To set who can view and edit your wiki, click on Manage Wiki and Permissions.

Additional Resources and Works Cited

• Wiki for Teachers Slide Show
•  Wikispaces Tutorial

Activity Management

• Show a sample wiki site
• Ask users to explain how they can use wiki in their classrooms
• Show the online tutorials
• Have participants create their own wiki site
• Have users share their wiki sites online
• Have users talk about an example of one activity for their daily lesson plan using “Wikispaces” in alignment with the standards for language learning
• Discuss how to assess student performance