AACPS+Guidelines+for+Wikis

= AACPS Guidelines for using Wikis =

1. Introduction
These guidelines have been prepared for teachers intending to use wikis in AACPS schools. The guidelines have been adapted from several resources on the Internet, primarily, the TAFE NSW – North Sydney Institute (NSI), Australia. These guidelines aim to provide teachers with an overview of issues relevant to using wikis in the classroom. These guidelines are not exhaustive and do not cover every situation that can arise in the open and networked environment, but should be used along with common sense to provide a safe and reliable experience for all students.

2. What is a Wiki?
A wiki is a website that allows users to easily add, remove and otherwise edit and change the content of pages, sometimes without the need for registration. The term "wiki" is the Hawaiian-language word for fast. The term is sometimes interpreted as the acronym for "what I know is", which describes the knowledge contribution, storage and exchange function. The term wiki can also refer to the collaborative software itself (wiki engine) that facilitates the operation of such a website or to certain specific wiki sites, such as the Wikipedia online encyclopaedia. Wikis have become an effective tool to develop private and public knowledge bases through collaborative authoring. Since the early 2000s, wikis have been increasingly adopted in enterprises to support knowledge management and training. Common uses include project communication, intranets and/or other documentation that requires frequent updating by a variety of stakeholders. **//Differentiating Wikis and Blogs //**Although they are often talked about together, blogs and wikis are quite different, with different uses. Blogs are best thought of as a way to present information or points of view to the world or in our case (AACPS) to a select group of students. The traditional blog is written in the form of an online journal and includes the writer’s thoughts on a subject, links to interesting information, and often pictures. The author or co-authors may post new items several times a day, depending on the structure. Approved contributors may comment on blog posts so that a discussion ensues. Wikis are also a way of presenting information, but with the idea that readers will contribute to content, adding to it and expanding upon it. This collaborative nature of a wiki is what makes it such a powerful tool.

3. Are wikis appropriate for educational delivery?
Wikis are examples of //Web 2// social software. They can facilitate an eLearning environment in which teachers facilitate and students contribute to their own learning experiences. The software provides flexible access to resources and fosters collaboration in a way that enriches educational delivery. They can be used to stimulate thinking outside of regular class time or as the basis for beginning new classroom discussions and/or reviewing previous class content. There is a lot of emerging literature regarding the potential of wikis as learning spaces. The majority conclude that these social software tools can be a transformational technology for teaching and learning if used appropriately. Wikis are tools supporting a social constructivist theory of learning. Social constructivism, a variety of cognitive constructivism, contends that knowledge is actively created by social relationships and interactions, emphasising a collaborative model for learning. This networked learning is particularly suitable for our Google generation learners, accustomed to formal and informal ways of getting information that are asynchronous, fast, free and available on demand.

4. Open or closed communities?
In establishing a wiki, the owner (teacher) controls who can view or contribute to the site. Teachers should ensure that the students are aware of who is able to view and post to the site. The following summarises the typical options available for use of a wiki: Teachers must take care to ensure that the privacy of users is not compromised and that content posted to the site does not breach any other policies or laws, such as copyright or defamation. Further, in allowing students to post, it is essential that they have some understanding of issues related to privacy, plagiarism, codes of conduct and responsible publishing.
 * 1) Closed – only users approved by the owner can read
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">Semi-closed – only users approved by the owner can read and/or post
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">Semi-open – anyone can read, but only approved users can post
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">Open – anyone can read and/or post (including the general public)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">AACPS requires that teachers using wikis establish a Closed or Semi-closed space; **<span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';"> thus only allowing the teacher and students to view any of the posted writings.

<span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 16px;">5. General guidelines
<span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">The following general statements aim to articulate issues for which all users of wikis should be aware of.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">Members should particpate safely in the wiki and avoid posting personal information including: last names, dates of birth, addresses, or phone numbers. **(Only student first names or initials may be used in AACPS.)**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">Linking to websites from your wiki in support of your argument is an excellent idea, but never link to something without reading the entire article to make sure it is appropriate
 * <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">All outside sources used in posts should be properly cited and quoted, in order to avoid plagiarism
 * <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">Basic rules of Netiquette and Digital Citizenship apply. The use of wikis is an extension of a web society, the society being made up of the group members forming their own group guidelines in a public education context. Therefore any speech that is considered inappropriate in society and public education is inappropriate on a wiki that’s part of an education network. This includes swearing, racist, sexist or discriminatory remarks and personal attacks.

<span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 16px;">6. Sample code of ethics
<span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">It is strongly suggested that teachers post to their wiki site an explicit statement regarding the ethical behaviour expected of students contributing to the site. <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">The following sample code of ethics is provided to assist teachers in preparing this. This is a modified version of the A Blogger's Code of Ethics originally from the Forrester Best Practices report, //Blogging: Bubble Or Big Deal: When And How Businesses Should Use Blogs// ([])
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will tell the truth.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will write deliberately and with accuracy.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will acknowledge and correct mistakes promptly.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will preserve the original post, using notations to show where I have made changes so as to maintain the integrity of my publishing.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will never delete a post.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will not delete comments unless they are spam or off-topic.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will reply to emails and comments when appropriate and do so promptly.
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will strive for high quality with every post – including basic spellchecking.
 * 9) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will stay on topic.
 * 10) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will disagree with other opinions respectfully.
 * 11) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will link to online references and original source materials directly.
 * 12) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will disclose conflicts of interest.
 * 13) <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I will keep private issues and topics private, since discussing private issues would jeopardise my personal and work relationships.