As I continued to look for Web 2.0 Tools while I was also getting involved in the Wiki Group Project, I came across Wikispaces (http://www.wikispaces.com/), a free public online wiki. It is touted as a site for class collaborations and group assignments. I was able to register quickly and set up an account.
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| Wikispaces homepage |
I previously had reviewed Vimeo, a tool that I felt might be useful for my Speech and Debate teams. I believe I have found another tool that can specifically help my Debate team as it does topic research. Wikispaces will allow my students to quickly become members and contribute to an online page for developing and sharing research.
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| AAStaggDebate Wiki homepage |
My school recently created student email accounts. I grabbed the class list of addresses for my 19 Debate class students, and pasted the list into the address field in order to send invitations to those kids. As an assignment, I told the students to activate their email accounts, open the invitation from our wiki page, and follow the directions to become members. I visited our technology department to ensure that Wikispaces was not blocked for student use, and was relieved to see that it was available and accessible.
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| Copy of the email inviting the debate students to become members |
Once this is done, the students will be able to post their research on our current debate topic. They will also be able to view and edit the contributions of their classmates. I will be able to view and manage their posts. Finally, as we approach tournaments, all will have access to the wiki, and will be able to print what they need. In time, I will also give the non-class debate team members access so they can benefit by using the wiki.
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| The Creator's Wiki Manage screen |
I believe the time saved by avoiding duplication of work will be significant. I also think the amount of paper we save because of the editing process will also be significant. Finally, the students will have a greater knowledge of what materials they have because they were part of the editing process. It looks like a win-win situation for Wikispaces and Stagg Debate.
I thought this might be something I could use with my fourth grade class, if it was not blocked by IT. It's Sunday, so I can wait to find out. Then I checked out the site and saw there were private areas for K-12 schools. That got my attention, as it sounded like the perfect solution until I found out it cost $2000 a year for a single school to use. I'll stick with Thinkquest.
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