Wikis

What are wikis? Have a look at this video for a good intro:




At Parkviewclc we have been dipping our toes into using wikis. Of all the wiki "farms" we decided to go with wikispaces.com. We've had a few problems but generally we're very excited by them. You can see what we started doing with a year 6 class here.

From here you can link to the groups and their own individual haunted house. This project lasted for about 6 hours in total and was run at the school using their own ICT suite. Problems encountered were:

1. Not enough PCs for 1 per pupil
2. Login/email issues
3. Some inappropriate advertising on sites

These were in no way unsolvable problems. We paired up pupils to support each other which helped ease PC demand. After the first session, we created 30 users for wikispaces (which took less time than you'd think!) and then assigned pupils their own login. The final issue isn't too bad - on the free version of wikispaces you get advertising down the right side of the site. They aren't as bad as you'd find on other "mainstream" sites but they can be completely removed by a small paid subscription.

Pupils and teachers were very engaged by the wikispaces and as preparation for SATs and creative writing skills it has been a great success. It helped that the school we worked with (St Saviour's) were very responsive to innovations in ICT and were quick to see the benefits. To see a "completed" wikispace on creative writing (although whether you can ever have a "completed" wikispace is an interesting question...) here.

The real bonus for us as a CLC is that once we left the pupils and teachers were able to continue their sites at school and at home using the logins we provided.

Wikispaces are a great tool for a wide variety of uses. Here are a few exemplars that might spark off some ideas:

Burr and Burton Academy

http://westwood.wikispaces.com/

http://podcastjazz.pbwiki.com/

Free software 2 - Audacity

With Audacity we get KS2 and KS3 pupils to create a radio programme in an hour. That's pupils who've never used Audacity before!

Basically, it's a free, open-source multi-track sound editor. It allows you to import sounds and music or to record your own with a microphone. Each "track" can be manipulated (change the pitch, tempo, add fades, distortion etc...)

It's a great tool for music, but also too create plays (the 3 witches scene works well), science "lectures", historical accounts - the list is endless. Of course, the finished product can be put onto a website later and then you've got a podcast!

Download it at:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Free software - Photostory 3

At Park View CLC we are trying to use more and more open-source or freeware software. Whilst the actual licensing agreements might differ, there is a lot of high quality software available which is completely FREE and easy to use.
In deciding which piece of software to promote first, we decided it had to be Photostory 3. When this is used with classes and shown to teachers the response is always completely positive and it tends to engage pupils entriely.
Simple and powerful, it allows a user to put photos or pictures into a film, add narration, music, effects and camera movements - Year 5 pupils can pick it up in ten minutes!
It's a nice alternative to Powerpoint presentations, an easy way to create a film and can be used in all subjects.
It's a microsoft product too, which means it has support on the website, quick download time and authenticy. Try it with your holiday snaps first and see how impressive it is!

Download it at:

www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/
digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx

A brand new day...

After many requests on teaching tips and software we have decided to succumb to the pressure of the zeitgeist and create a blog. Everyone and their dog has a blog site lately, and it has to be said they can be a wonderful tool for self-expression and they allow communication with a wide audience.

All too often though they can be insular and of interest to only a small audience. We hope that the software and teaching ideas flagged up on this blog will be of genuine benefit both to our network schools and anyone else that happens to come across this site.

It is a site, therefore, not celebrating all the achievements of Park View City Learning Centre but instead to offer helpful advice and support to teachers everywhere. Feel free to post comments, ask questions or make suggestions!

Stephen Fessey

Asst. Manager Park View CLC