Dynamic+Classroom+Websites

=Dynamic Classroom Website=
 * If you haven't yet created a Wikispace for your classroom click HERE to learn how to get started! **

toc

Adding Documents and Images to your Wikispace
By adding documents and images to your website, you are helping students to find the resources that they need to succeed in your classroom. These documents and images can be class notes, homework assignments, project rubrics, PowerPoints, visual aides, pictures of the projects, and more!
 * To add these great tools to your classroom website, click the "Manage Wiki" button on your navigation toolbar.
 * Then, click on the "Files" icon.
 * Click "Browse" and find the documents that you would like to upload anywhere on your wikispace. Then click "Upload".
 * Once all of the documents are uploaded, go to the page that you would like the document or image to be displayed. Click "Edit" then "File".
 * Then simply click the document that you would like to appear and it will be inserted into the website.

Embed Documents with Embedit.in
Embedding documents, other webpages, games, widgets and videos help to make the website more interactive and visually appealing for students. Also, it helps the students to easily find and access items that are relevant to your class.
 * Go to [|embedit.in]
 * If you are embedding a file from your computer...
 * Click "Select Files..." then find the document on your computer, highlight it, and click "Open."
 * Then you will have to log-in using a Google, Yahoo, or other 3rd party account.
 * Copy the Embed Code.
 * If you are embedding something from online...
 * Click "Embed a URL" then you will have to log-in using a Google, Yahoo, or other 3rd party account.
 * Then copy the URL from the website that you would like to embed, click "Go Embed It!"
 * Copy the Embed Code.
 * Go to the page that you would like to embed it.
 * Click "Widgets" then "Other HTML"
 * Paste the Embed Code into the box and click save.

Adding Videos
By adding videos to your website, you are enabling students to enhance their learning in many ways ranging from watching how-to videos to displaying student multimedia projects! These videos are to help supplement the content you are teaching the students.
 * First, click "Widget" on your editing tool bar.
 * On the left side of the Widget Menu, click "Video".
 * Then choose from the list what type of video you are embedding.
 * Videos can be from YouTube, TeacherTube and mor
 * Other video resources can be found at http://thedigitalshift.wikispaces.com/Multimedia+Resources
 * Then find the video that you would like to insert into your website.
 * On the video page you should find the **"Embed"** field. Note that it is usually to the right side of the video on YouTube and TeacherTube.
 * Copy the Embed field and paste it into the box at the bottom of the page.
 * You are able to preview what the video will look like by clicking "Preview".
 * Lastly, click "Save" to add the video to your website.

[|Widgetbox Widgets]
Find free widgets for all subjects or create your own widget!
 * First, find the widget that you would like to add to your website.
 * Option 1: Search for widgets in your content area.
 * Option 2: Create your own widget. Click HERE to learn how!
 * Then click "Get Widget" on the gray tab underneath the widget.
 * The embed code will appear. Click "Copy."
 * Then go to the page of your wiki that you would like to insert the widget.
 * Click "Edit", "Widgets", then "Other HTML".
 * Paste the embed code into the box and click "Save".
 * Once you refresh your page, your widget will appear.
 * //To learn how to create widgets from widgetbox.com and see examples,// click HERE.

[|Mission To Learn Widgets]
These free, pre-made widget are sorted by general topics and could be used to accent your website.
 * First, find the widget that you would like to add to your website.
 * Then click the link to the widget.
 * Select "Add to your webpage"
 * Change the display settings if desired, then click "Get the code."
 * Highlight the code, then right click, the click "copy".
 * Then go to the page of your wiki that you would like to insert the widget.
 * Click "Edit", "Widgets", then "Other HTML.
 * Paste the embed code into the box and click "Save".
 * Once you refresh your page, your widget will appear.

Applets
Applets are a great way to make your website more interactive. However, most applets do not have embed codes so that you can embed them into your website. It is recommended that you create a link to the applet on your website for the students since the applet can not be embedded. Below is a list of different online applets sorted by subject.
 * Math
 * [] The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a great resouce for any topic in Math!
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * Science
 * Chemistry
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * Biology
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * Earth Science
 * []
 * []
 * Physics
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * []

Games
Games are a great way to make your website more interactive. However, most games do not have embed codes so that you can embed them into your website. It is recommended that you create a link to the game on your website for the students since the game cannot be embedded. Below is a list of different online games sorted by subject. Note: Some of these websites offer more than just games!
 * Math
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * Science
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * English
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * History
 * []
 * []
 * []

Using a Discussion Board
A discussion board can be used in many ways, such as a help desk, homework, and discussion topics. By adding a discussion board to your classroom website, you are enabling students to ask questions and receive help not only from you, but their peers!
 * To create a discussion board, go to the page that you would like to add a discussion.
 * Click the "Discussion" Tab at the top of the page.
 * Then click "New Post" to add a discussion. When you are finished click "Post".
 * You and your students will then be able to reply to the post.
 * NOTE: You are creating a specific discussion board for that page. You can have different discussion boards on each page.
 * You can also embed the Discussion Board onto its page. This might be useful if you are looking to use this function for nightly homework help.
 * First click the "Widget" button while editing the page.
 * Then click "Discussion Area". This will allow the discussion board to be viewed without clicking the Discussion Tab at the top of the page.

Adding a Custom Search Engine through Google
Help your students to find great resources using a Google Custom Search Engine!
 * First go to [|google.com/cse]
 * Click "Create a Custom Search Engine". At this point you will be asked to log-in using a Google user name and password. If you have a gmail account, use that account name. If you do not, you will need to create a free account to use this feature.
 * You will see a form to fill out. First fill out the name of your search engine and a brief description of its purpose.
 * Then, under "Define your Search Engine" you can list the web addresses that you would like the students to be able to search.
 * Read the Terms of Service, check the appropriate box, then press "Next".
 * Then choose your style and preview the results.
 * It is recommended to have a list of topics ready to try so that you are giving the students an easy and simple to use page. If the results are not what you intended, change the desired websites in the previous step by going back.
 * After you have previewed the results and they meet your expectations, click "Next".
 * Then a screen with code will appear. Copy this code.
 * Go to the wikipage that you would like to insert this search engine. Click "Edit" and then "Widgets".
 * Click "Other HTML" on the navigation bar on the left side of the screen.
 * Paste the code into the box and click "Save".
 * The search engine should appear on the page and the results to the search will be posted directly on your page.

Adding a Classroom Calendar using Google Calendar
By adding a classroom calendar, you are publicly posting the due dates of homework and projects, notifying students of upcoming test and quizzes, and any other important events coming up in your classroom!
 * First, go to [|google.com/calendar] then log-in to your Google account.
 * Then create your own classroom calendar. Remember to change the privacy settings to "Make Public" or else the students will only be able to see a Google log-in screen, not the calendar.
 * When you have created the calendar, go to the page on your wikispace that you would like to embed the calendar.
 * Click "Edit," "Widgets," then "Calendar".
 * Select Google Calendar and follow the directions that appear.
 * Paste the embed code in the box at the bottom.
 * NOTE: Any changes that you make to your Google Calendar will automatically be updated on your website! Also, if you have the calendar "hidden" on your google page, the calendar will be blank on your website.

Adding Surveys using Google Forms
Adding surveys to your classroom website helps to make your website more interactive and helps you to gather digital data about your students.
 * Go to [|docs.google.com] and select "Create New" then "Form".
 * Then title the form and add directions in the box underneath the title.
 * Add as many questions as you would like. The question types can be text, paragraph text, multiple choice, check boxes, choose from a list, scale, and grid.
 * If you would like to know which student has entered the information, make the first question a text question that simply says "NAME".
 * When you have completed your survey, click "Save".
 * Then click "More Actions" and "Embed".
 * Copy the Embed Code.
 * Go to the wikipage that you would like to insert this survey. Click "Edit" and then "Widgets".
 * Click "Polls" and then "Other".
 * Paste the embed code into the box and click "Save".
 * NOTE: Once you have embedded the code, any changes you make to the form will not be updated. You must re-embed the form to have the updated form.
 * __To view the results of your form__, log into Google Docs and open the spreadsheet that has the same title as your form. (This spreadsheet will automatically create itself once someone has responded to the form.)

= Storing Student Projects = By allowing students to store and editing their projects directly on your website, it allows the students to work on the project anywhere! Also, it helps you to monitor which students are working on the project and when they were last updated. **Great for collaborative learning by creating "group" pages.**
 * First, create a new page on your wiki dedicated to housing student projects.
 * Then, copy and paste a roster onto the page.
 * Make a link from every student name to a new page.
 * To make sure that students are not able to edit every page on the wiki we need to change the settings of the wikispace.
 * Go to "Manage Wiki".
 * Click "Permissions" then make sure that your privacy setting is set to "Private".
 * Then, scroll down to "Page Permissions" and check all of the pages that you do NOT want students to be able to edit. Click "Lock".
 * Now, all of these pages will not be able to be edited by students, but the individual pages that you have created are able to be edited.
 * NOTE: There is not a way to allow only one student to edit a page and another edit a different page. Therefore, students are able to edit each others pages. Make sure students know to respect each others work and to only edit their own page. You are able to view who edited each page last through the history of the page.

= Example of a Dynamic Classroom Website = = Presentation from 1/17/2011 = By: Cheryl Beasock media type="custom" key="8020838"
 * http://mrsmaine.wikispaces.com/
 * Although Mrs.Maine is not a teacher for Hampton SD, this is a great example of a "wikicentric" class.
 * Please take special note of the //team sections//. They allow the students to store their projects directly on the website! She has taken the idea of storing a single student project to the next level by incorporating collaborative learning!
 * In the "AcaBio notes" Mrs. Maine original was simply linking the files to the website. However, when she started to //embed the files// the website became easier for students to view the material.
 * Mrs. Maine does a wonderful job at not only using the //calendar// to remind the students of due dates, but she has all of the necessary //links// to the assignments underneath. With this useful addition, the students have the resources that they need to complete the assignment at their fingertips!
 * Under the "Academic Biology" page, she used a //Google Form// as an end of the year survey. This survey provided her with feedback on what helped the students and what did not help the students.

media type="custom" key="8072436"