SD79 Classroom Wikis
FAQ...
Who can have a classroom wiki?
Why should I use the District wiki services when there are other free services available that have more tools?
- Canada Privacy laws require all information pertaining to Canadians be housed on Canadian servers. Many of the existing wiki services are run through the United States where their laws regarding digital privacy of information are very different. The school district is currently developing policy regarding this matter as the impact of our laws require any student work or information that could be traced back to the individual be housed on Canadian and possibly district servers.
- District Wiki services will continue to expand and will include capability for students to engage in online conversations with their peers. Please expect to be updated on the services available in Fall 2010.
What do I do to get a classroom wiki set up for my class?
- Follow the steps below to arrange for your classroom wiki to be set up - please allow 10 working days for your wiki account to be created
- Talk to your principal to see if the school's wiki has already been set up and if any teachers on staff are already using a District Classroom Wiki.
- Send an email to the tech department (sramsey@sd79.bc.ca OR helpdesk@sd79.bc.ca) with the following information:
- the names of all the teachers on staff who would like to have a classroom wiki
- a digital copy of the school's logo if your school's wiki has NOT been created (jpg, tiff, gif, png format)
When Glen has completed the template and account creation for your staff, he will email the school principal with a list of the accounts' details: usernames and passwords for all staff who requested a wiki
How do I get started with putting information onto the wiki?
- Contact Heather (hstannard@sd79.bc.ca) or Glen (gposey@sd79.bc.ca) to arrange for onsite instruction to begin using your wiki
Wiki Strengths:
- easy to use - type text, simple formatting, insert graphics/video, and attach files of all sorts in a simple process
- edit from any machine directly on the server
- doesn't mater what type of computer, or internet program is used to access your website
- password protected for privacy for students and teachers
Wiki Limitations:
- the classroom teacher may post to the wiki, but at this time students are not able to post comments on the classroom wiki - this will change during the 2010/11 school year
- students do not yet have a simple way of sending files back to their teacher from anywhere - however, the district use of the open source Moodle is providing this feature to schools