Wikis- How 2.0

This year my school had given all the teachers a week long opportunity to attend a Web 2.0 training (we are a STEM academy, so it is required that we use technology as much as we can). The training was offered the first week of summer the previous school year, during the training there were multiple different sessions teachers used to get a closer look about how to use different web 2.0 tools. One of the tools most of the departments focused on were using Wikis. In BCPS we are asked to use http://pbworks.com/ because this is the "education" wikispace; but some other free blogging or website sites are: Wikispaces, Wetpaint, Edublogs, Stixy, or Kidblog.

A wiki is a website where teachers, students, and parents can have a discussion about different topics posed by the teacher, student, or parents. The teacher can also post documents, pictures, or links to websites to provide to the person on the other end.

Unfortunately this year most of our teachers have not been using the wiki as a wiki but more so as a website to get the information out there. In one of our classes (ET 680) we talked about the levels of use for technology: Level 0- Non use, Level 1- Orientation, Level 2- Preparation, Level 3- Mechanical, Level 4A- Routine, Level 4B- Refinement, Level 5- Integration, and Level 6- Renewal. I think that most of my colleagues (myself included) are around a Level 4, we are comfortable using the wiki by uploading files, pictures, and put links into our wiki however we just need to get to that point where we use its full capabilities.

Here are some of our teacher/class wikis (used with permission from the teachers, also I am not sure of their security on their site so you may not be able to see it without emailing them to be granted access):
https://justicechsmath.pbworks.com/
http://parlettemath.pbworks.com/
https://nortonsh.pbworks.com/
https://mrfieldmath.pbworks.com/
http://mtsthelensvlemathchallenge2.pbworks.com/














When others have made discussions, do you make them from a whole new page in wiki? I don't know how you could ask different questions all from the same page. This is part of the reason I personally don't know how I can make different discussions go on all in the same site because we were just taught the basics of uploading files, pictures, and putting links on the wiki.

Does anyone have any other suggestions, ideas, or best practices they know about on how to get teachers started on making their wiki more like a wiki and not just a website?

-Laurie