Casey's+Interest

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According to Wikipedia (no pun intended) a [|wiki] is "...a website that allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a [|WYSIWYG] (what you see is what you get) text editor." The wiki in which you find yourself now is an example. It is extremely user-friendly and works very much like a simple word processor when editing and looks very much the same as the edited form once you save (hence "wysiwyg"). ======

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There are three types of wikis that can be created by the common everyday individual for [|mutliple purposes], namely [|collaboration]. You can find these at www.wikispaces.com, [|www.pbworks.com], [|www.wetpaintcentral.com]. Wikis are web-based so it is impossible to create and participate in one without internet access. For most, this is not a problem, but in the world of education it creates a new set of [|issues] to address. ======

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Many classrooms across the United States and world use wikis and have had to deal with certain issues related to internet access. Most students who fall into the low socioeconomic class do not have internet access, or a computer, at home. This has largely impacted African American and Hispanic students, so teachers have had to come up with a way to give these students opportunities to participate at school. But it is possible to work around the issue, providing students with chances to work on the computer during their free time and after school. ======

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Wikis are great tools for ability differences. Because wikis are so user-friendly all students across ability groups can participate. It is very easy to create an account to use a wiki so all students can learn and participate. My experiences have allowed me to learn new techniques in training children to become self-sufficient but safe in a wiki atmostphere. This experience with wikispace has also helped me differentiate in my classroom. Students who function on a higher than average level and who finish work early can now be actively engaged regardless of their pace in a particular unit of study. But all ability levels have been able to actively participate in my wikispace site regardless of race and gender while they are at school. I have also organized and maintained wikispace sites at the elementary, middle and high school level. It is apparent to me that age is not a prohibitor in regards to participating in a collaborative wiki. ======

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-Wikipedia. (2010). Wiki. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 3, 2010, from [] ======

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-Lefever, L. (Producer). (2007). //Wikis in plain english//. [Web]. Retrieved from [] ======

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-Smart Teaching. (2008, December). 50 ways to use wikis for a more collaborative and interactive classroom. Retrieved from [] ======

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-Wikipedia. (2008, September). //Wikispaces//. Retrieved from [] ====== -Wikipedia. (2008, October). Pbworks. Retrieved from [] -Banks, E. (2005). How internet access affects minority students in secondary public schools. Informally published manuscript, Applied Information Management, University of Oregon, Portland, Oregon. Retrieved from []