We have been using these for the past 2 (7F) or 3 (7S) classes. These can be accessed from anywhere. Ask your child to go to www.wikispaces.com and log in. As passwords are generated by the computer, some of them have been having trouble remembering them. They should have a slip of paper in their agenda with their usernames and passwords listed on them.
At this point they should have a description of their group and their problem (lid blowing off my composter in high winds) on the home page of their wiki. The second page should be a drawing and a written description of 3 possible solutions to my problem. Some of them are using a new wiki page for each of the 3 possible solutions. If any of their solutions are silly (i.e. an elephant sitting on the composter) they don't count as part of the required 3.
We are still using the blog, but now it has become a journal. At the end of every class they are supposed to write a journal entry describing what they did that class and any problems they ran into. This is also where they describe any issues with group members. Only I can see all student entries. Students can only see my entries and their own.
This is the blog post I left for them in the middle of January:
Since your report cards came out, you should have completed 3 blog posts and have 1 in progress.
The 3 completed blog posts are:
- An example of a communication system (encode, store, transmit/receive, decode)
- A Design Brief for my problem about the composter lid
- A list of what you already know about my problem and a list of questions of what you need to find out.
Last class, you should have started a blog post answering those questions.
Please click on your name on the right side of the main blog screen and check to make sure each of those posts are there.
At this point, the questions they listed in this blog post should all be answered in another blog post. My most recent blog post with instructions for them is below:
We are ready to embark on the biggest part of the design process. From here on until the end of the year, you will be working with a group. I am really hoping that the groups you have chosen work well and you can stick with them until June, but I reserve the right to shake things up a bit if they’re not working.
Because the rest of the year is group work, we need a workspace that you all have access to and that you all can contribute to, and that represents the work you do as a team. I have set up wikis for each of the groups. A wiki is a webpage than multiple people can edit. Each group has their own wiki. Put EVERYTHING you do on the wiki – all your possible solutions, your criteria list, your final solution, and your evaluation (you will get more information on each of these steps). You may also add video and audio to your wiki if you wish.
We will continue to use the blog as your digital journal. In the last 5-10 minutes of every class, you will log in to the blog and write a short paragraph of what you accomplished in that class along with what problems you’ve encountered. These could be problems with your teammates or problems with the project. Your group members will not be able to see your blog posts – they will remain between you and me.
To get started, go to www.wikispaces.com. Login using the username and password I’ve given you. Do not lose this information.
At this point, both classes should have a home page completed and a possible solutions page. They will be given 10 minutes to tidy up at the beginning of next class and then we're moving on to criteria lists and choosing the best solution.
Take care!
