Instructions for getting started
From WikiEducator
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Contents |
Introduction
Welcome aboard WikiEducator's Learning4Content project. You are making history by participating in the world's largest training initiative in promoting wiki skills for free content development in education.
These instructions will help you get started. We look forward to meeting you in the discussion forums and joining our community.
Duration and time commitments
- Total time commitment: between 4 - 5 learning hours
- Number of tutorials: There are ten tutorials which you should work through during the course of the workshop.
- Duration of a L4C workshop: The online workshops are scheduled for 10 consecutive working days. Typically a Monday through to the Friday on the second week. Please take time differences into account depending on where the host facilitators are located.
- Estimated time per tutorial: Participants will need about 30 to 40 minutes per tutorial. (Aim for completing one tutorial each working day.)
- Technology requirements: Computer with a Browser (for example, Internet Explorer or Firefox) and an Internet connection
- ICT skills requirement: Basic browsing skills. Wiki editing is very easy and accessible – we will show you how.
- Dates: Please consult the schedule for the next online workshop.
Instructions for getting started
Read these instructions before you begin your adventure into our exciting world of wikis for education.
There are four things you need to do to get started:
Step 1 - Orientation
Read through this document.
Step 2 - Registering yourself on the Learning4Content Workshops Group
We are using a Google Group for the L4C workshops.
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Register or activate your Google Groups account for our discussion forum called Learning4Content-workshops. (We will use this technology to communicate with each other):
- Go to: http://groups.google.com/group/learning4content-workshops
- If you have a Google account, click on the “sign in” link on the top right hand side of this web page using your Google email address and corresponding password.
- If you don't have an account – click on the “sign in” link and then click on the Create an account now link.
You can also activate your account from the Google groups email we sent prior to this workshop.
- The WikiEducator website ( http://www.wikieducator.org ) where you will find the tutorials and practice your skills and
- A Google Groups discussion forum ( http://groups.google.com/group/learning4content-workshops) which we will use to communicate with each other online.
So you will need two user accounts and corresponding passwords. When setting up your accounts, you may find it easier to use the same username and password. However, remember that you need to register individually on both systems
Step 3 - Posting a personal introduction on the Learning4Content forum
Please introduce yourself in the L4C forum. Tell us a little about yourself, for example:
- Where you are from
- What you do professionally
- What you expect to gain from this online workshop for WikiEducator
- Anything which may be of interest to our group
Guidelines for introducing yourself
- Go to this page: http://groups.google.com/group/learning4content-workshops (Remember to sign in with your user account and password)
- Click on the "Discussion" link on the top right-hand side of the page
- Click on the link called "Please introduce yourself to the group"
- Click on the Reply link to add your personal introduction.
- Read the personal introductions submitted
- Try and find someone with similar interests from another country and ask them whether they would like to join you in developing a content resource on WikiEducator.
Step 4 - Sign and return your L4C Learning Contract
The L4C L4C Learning Contract defines our learning goals and how they will be accomplished. The WikiEducator community will provide you with free training. In return, we ask that you develop and donate one teaching resource back to the community.
- Download and read the L4C Learning Contract (http://wikieducator.org/images/3/34/Learningcontract.pdf)
- Specify the type of resource you would like to develop, sign and date the learning contract.
- Please fax the first page of your signed contract to your workshop facilitator. Consult the workshop schedule for the relevant fax number.
Step 5 - Starting with the first tutorial
Find the tutorials on WikiEducator ( http://www.wikieducator.org/Help:Contents ).
- Read the titles of the first ten tutorials
- Start working through the first tutorial: What is a wiki?
- When you come across a Discussion activity post your thoughts and ideas on the L4C online forum (http://groups.google.com/group/learning4content-workshops)
You will find detailed instructions on navigating through the tutorials in the section called “Accessing the tutorials” below.
Accessing the tutorials
You can access the list of tutorials online from the Help link in the Navigation Toolbar on the WikiEducator home page.
- Preview of the List of tutorials.
Navigating through the tutorials
Each tutorial has its own navigation which is illustrated below. Use these navigation features to access the subsections of each tutorial.
Navigation options for Newbie Tutorials. See key below
- Use this navigation block to move to the subsections of the current tutorial.
- This displays the name of the current tutorial
- At the bottom of each page in the Newbie tutorials, you will find these next/previous arrows. Click on these arrows to move around in the tutorial.
Three categories of activities
The Newbie tutorials include three main types of activity:
- Independent study activities which you complete on your own. There is no requirement to discuss these in the online forum. Examples may include reflections, self-assessment or preknowledge activities.
- Discussion activities which are designed for interaction among participants and facilitators. You may be asked to discuss these in small groups within a classroom situation or be expected to post your thoughts in the online discussion forums. When you see a discussion icon in the tutorial, you should post a comment in the appropriate forum in the Google group.
- Skills-based activities which require you to perform an action, but not necessarily post this in the discussion forum. For example, adding an item to your User page in Wikieducator, or practicing how to use italics in the wiki.
Naturally, you are free to post any thoughts or ideas relating to the independent study or skills-based activities in the discussion forums set up for the course. However, this is entirely optional. To avoid confusion, the activity will provide a clear instruction when you should post to the discussion forum.
We look forward to seeing you in the forums.
