Subscription Databases Link on Library Website

 Notice the links to all our databases on the the library/media centers' main menu titled "Databases".  To view these databases remotely you need the username and password.  We have a brochure with this information BUT better yet, we now have a link on our library website that will allow you to access a PDF of this brochure----all you need to know is the username and password and you will be able to access this anytime if you have internet connectivity.

Wiki Basics

I am posting a quick resource for you to get a Wiki started on your own! Please see me if you need help. http://leydenlibraries.wikispaces.com/file/view/Exploring+Wikis.pdf

Wiki Basics

I am posting a quick resource for you to get a Wiki started on your own! Please see me if you need help1

What is a wiki?

Wikis are web pages that students can use to write, edit, and add elements, such as images and video, to create collaborative projects.

The most well know example of a wiki is Wikipedia. (Solomon, 136)


Source: Solomon, Gwen, and Lynne Schrum. Web 2.0 : how-to for educators. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 2010. Print.

Ten Ways Wikis Support Learning

1. Supports planning, collaboration, and critical thinking skills.
2. Facilitates inquiry.
3. Encourages personal accountability.
4. Provides practice in peer editing and reviewing.
5. Empowers through shared authorship.
6. Encourages responsible writing.
7. Deters plagiarism by showing process.
8. Engages and motivates students.
9. Supports constructivist learning.
10. Provides practice in validating information. (Berger, 99)

Source: Berger, Pam, and Sally Trexler. Choosing Web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Unlimited, 2010. Print.

What is a blog?

Blog comes from the term web log. It is a type of website maintained by an individual using a hosting site, like blogger, allowing for instant publishing online that invites an audience to read and respond to what is posted.

Posts can only be edited by the contributing author or administrator of the blog. Blogs can be very open allowing anyone the ability to post comments or require invitations to view and/or comment or post. (Solomon, 17)

Source: Solomon, Gwen, and Lynne Schrum. Web 2.0 : how-to for educators. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 2010. Print.

Classroom Examples of Wikis

Wikis for Social Studies: Students make notes about the different units they are reading to help consolidate their knowledge around the concepts they are learning.
http://studyingsocietiesatjhk.pbworks.com/w/page/18798605/FrontPage

Wiki ideas in Science: A student glossary of scientific terms with illustrations and definitions added by the class(using original digital photos or those from other online Creative Commons sources, such as Flickr). Linking to separate pages with detailed information allows the main glossary list to remain reasonably short.

A taxonomy of living things with information about each branch in the study of Biology over a full year.

Designs of experiments (and resulting lab reports) for a chemistry class.

Observations from field sites, such as water testing in local streams, weather observations from across a state, or bird counts during migratory season. This activity would also work well as a collaboration with other schools in different states.

Detailed and illustrated descriptions of scientific processes: how mountains form, etc.

(Crane, 67)

Source: Crane, Beverley E. Using Web 2.0 tools in the K-12 classroom. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2009. Print.

Classroom Uses of Weblogs

You might like to start a class blog to . . .

• post class-related information such as calendars, events, homework assignments, and other class information.



• post assignments based on literature readings and have students respond on their own Weblogs, creating a kind of portfolio of their work.



• post prompts for writing.



• provide examples of classwork, vocabulary activities or grammar games.



• provide online readings for your students to read and react to.



• gather and organize Internet resources for a specific course providing links to appropriate sites and annotating the links as to what is relevant about them.



• post photos and comments on class activities.



• invite student comments or postings on issues in order to give them a writing voice.



• publish examples of good student writing done in class.



• showcase student art, poetry, and creative stories.



• create a dynamic teaching site, posting not only class-related information, but also activities, discussion topics, links to additional information about topics they are studying in class, and readings to inspire learning.



• create a literature circle.



• make use of the commenting feature to have students publish messages on topics being used to develop language skills.



• ask students to create their own individual course blogs, where they can post their own ideas, reactions and written work.



• post tasks to carry out project-based learning tasks with students.



• link your class with another class somewhere else in the world. (Richardson, 40)

Source: Richardson, Will. Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2006. Print.